Touch of Magic
by Earth Star
Summary: Jack is a street kid who gets by performing his magic tricks he learned from his father. However, he comes to learn that magic is more than smoke and mirrors when he rescues a small fluffy rabbit. Jack soon find himself on the longest and most dangerous road trip of his life.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I do not want to make a profit from writing this story.

_Author's Note: __So, this is a story I've been working on for the past few months. It's probably my longest ROTG story so far. It's all written out and just needs editing, so expect to see a new chapter around every Friday-Saturday._

Chapter 1

Humming to himself, Frank swept the floor of his shop as he heard the door's bell jingle. Frank raised his head and saw the face of a familiar teen with brown hair wearing a worn t-shirt, pants, a magician hat and carrying an old duffel bag enter. "Morning, Jack!" Frank greeted with a wave. "You're here early."

Jack grinned. "You don't make money by being late," the boy replied. "You still okay if I set up outside?"

Frank chuckled. "As I tell you every morning, go ahead," he replied as he went back to sweeping. "You doing your little street show brings in good business for me." Jack was a nice kid. Even though Frank insisted he was fine with Jack performing his magic tricks in front of his shop, the boy had always came in like clockwork just to make certain Frank was still alright. Granted, Frank knew personally not a lot of shop owners would be thrilled with the idea of a street kid was trying to earn money at their establishment, however, Frank didn't care. Kids living on the street had it hard enough as is, if it didn't hurt to make their life easier, why shouldn't someone offer a hand?

Jack gave a grateful smile. "Thanks, Frank, I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem, Kiddo," Frank replied as Jack headed back outside. "Just stay warm, there's a chill in the air today."

Jack nodded as he shut the door and went to sit in front of the shop. Frank grinned amused as he set the broom aside to make fresh donuts. He felt very lucky to know Jack and he would admit it proudly. How many could say they were friends with a street magician?

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Pitch could feel the exhaustion slip into his bones as he crossed the threshold to his lab. It had been a long trip. While driving across the country, Pitch discovered that the 'cargo' had a whole list of swear words from every language. He was very tempted to sew the lips shut of the infuriating creature, but Pitch couldn't risk damaging him. Pitch was so close to his goal and he refused to take any chances he didn't have to take.

It may have been faster to take a plane home, but he doubted the airline would allow him to take a rabbit as carry on luggage and he refused to let it out of his sight for minute. Pitch had worked long and hard to capture him, Pitch wasn't going to jeopardize it by being foolish.

Pitch smiled as he reached his laboratory and grinned smugly at the glass beakers. Finally, his dream was within his grasp. He had awaited for this day for centuries and it was finally here. Pitch had spent years devising ways to track and capture the last Pooka, with no thanks to those Guardians.

Honestly, if Pitch had known placing that seal on the Pooka would have saved him so much time, he would have done it ages ago. Course, the seal itself had been quite costly, never mind the amount of work he had to put into setting up the runes and sealing circle to activate it.

_Although,_ he thought. _Once I can tap into my magic, I won't need to rely on such tiresome methods._ He chuckled as Pitch selected a black cast box that contained his tools and potions he would be use to 'persuade' the Pooka to complete his request.

It was time for the fun to begin. "Onyx!" Pitch called as he cleared his lab table. "Fetch the hairball and bring him to me."

Pitch waited to hear a sharp "At once, Master!", but frowned when he was greeted with silence. "Onyx?"

He heard the shuffling of feet and a large man, with long black hair, and various stitch marks on his arms and neck appear in the doorway. "M-master, I am sorry, but I can't."

Pitch sighed as he rolled his eyes. He had built Onyx to be as strong as an ox, but also as dumb as one. Simple minds were far easier to control and less likely to rebel, but there were times Pitch wondered if a smart servant would have been worth the risk. "You just need to bring me the cage. It's not that hard-"

"N-no, Master," Onyx stammered. "I-I mean…." He gulped. "The Pooka's escaped."

"WHAT?!" Pitch shoved Onyx aside as he ran into the backroom where he had told Onyx to guard their guest until he had finished the preparations. He spotted the small cage and true to Onyx's word, the door to it was swinging open with no Pooka inside it.

Pitch sucked in air to control his rage, before he spun around and pinned Onyx to the wall. "Where is the Pooka?!"

"It wasn't my fault, Master!" Onyx cried as he cowered. "He tricked me! He laid still and said he was dying! So, I opened to check and when I turned my back, he was gone!"

Pitch's fingers tightened around Onyx's throat. "Fool! I should tear you apart and rebuild you to be a door stop!" He reached into his robe and yanked out a bottle. "Or perhaps I you should be the next test subject for one of my potions?!"

"N-no, Master!' Onyx pleaded as he shook. "Anything, but that!"

"Then, get that Pooka!" Pitch cried as he tossed Onyx to the floor and pointed to the door. "Find him!"

"Yes, Master!" Onyx jumped to his feet and gave a hasty vow before he charged out of the door.

Pitch cursed as he leaned against the wall and rubbed his eyes. "Of course, this wouldn't be this easy!" He shot a glare at the empty cage. "At least that seal I put on him won't be wearing off anytime soon." He gave a smirk as he thought about his advantage.

In the furball's current state and miles away from his friends, it was only a matter of time before they captured him again and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

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Jack grinned as he shuffled and fanned out the cards. "Pick a card, any card from the deck."

The little girl who sat across from him frowned and stared at the cards like she was deciding her fate. Jack stole a glance at the girl's mother who smiled amused.

"I pick," the girl said as her hand hovered. "This one!"

"Look in the card, but don't show me," Jack instructed as he piled the cards back together. "Once, you're done, slip it back into my deck."

The girl gave a nodded and placed it back into the deck. Jack grinned as he shuffled the cards. Now, was the time for the dramatic effect. He shut his eyes and waved his hands like he was casting a spell.

"Your card...was this one!" Jack yanked out the card he had marked and held out the Ace of Hearts.

The girl gasped. "How did you know?!"

"Magic!" Jack replied with a wink. "And a good magician never reveals his secrets."

"Do another trick!" the girl pleaded as she clasped her hands. "Please!"

"Now, Honey," the mother said as she laughed. "He's done four tricks for you already."

"It's fine, my dad always said to never deny an audience" Jack said as he reached into the top had he had set out for people to drop money in. "See this quarter?"

The girl nodded.

"Now you see it," Jack twirled the coin around his fingers and then held his palms opened. "Now you don't!"

The girl's jaw dropped. "Where's the coin?! It's gone!"

"No, it's not," Jack said as he reached behind her ear. "It's right here!" He held the quarter out.

The girl giggled and clapped. "That's amazing!"

"It is, but we need to get home for dinner," the mother said as Jack saw she slipped a ten dollar bill into his top hat.

It was Jack's turn to stare wide eye. He would be lucky if a person let a five dollars, but ten was a miracle. "Thank you!"

The mother gave a smile as the girl took her hand and waved at Jack. "Bye, Mister Magician! I'll see you later!"

Jack waved as he collected the money and stuffed it into his duffel. "Wow, I can actually afford a proper meal today."

He heard a chuckle behind him as Frank stepped out of his donut shop. "Having a successful day there, kid?"

Jack gave a smile back. "Yeah, got way more people than I did yesterday. I'll be sticking around another hour if that's okay."

"Fine with me, just as long as you're gone before I close." Frank wiped his hands onto his apron. "It'll be getting dark soon."

Jack nodded. He liked Frank, he was one of the few shop owners that didn't mind Jack performing his magic tricks in front of his store to earn money. Instead of yelling and screaming at Jack to get lost, Frank encouraged it. Granted, Frank had a tendency to be nice to every street kid that came his way.

"Before you leave," Frank continued. "I got some day old donuts you can have if you want."

"Really? Yeah, that be great!" Jack exclaimed.

Frank laughed. "I'm gathering up my donations for the food bank, so I'll have it ready for you soon."

Jack beamed as Frank ventured back into the shop. Yup! Today was a good day. Jack would actually have enough food for today, tomorrow and perhaps even the day after if he rationed it well.

Jack emptied the top hat and flipped it back onto his head. His dad may not have left him with much when he died, but Jack would always be grateful for the magic tricks he taught him. Without them, Jack wasn't sure how he would get by day to day for money.

Jack gave a half smile at the memory of his dad, before shaking his head. No, time to be sad about things he couldn't change. He had to get a couple more tricks set up.

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A few blocks away, a small grey rabbit panted to catch his breath as he ducked into an alley. _Stupid Pitch! Stupid seal!_ He snarled as he once again caught his reflection in some broken glass. "North, would be laughin' his head off if he saw me...course, that is if I can get home."

Bunny shook his head as he tried to make a plan. He still had no clue on where exactly he was. Bunny could be halfway across the country for all he knew.

If that was the case, it was a huge problem in his current state. Normally, Bunny could open up a tunnel and be home within a few hours, but with his powers sealed-

"Hey, Mike, look!"

He jumped as he spun around and saw two scruffy teen boys stare at him.

"A rabbit!" the taller one said as he pointed right at him.

The shorter one grinned. "Bet we can sell it for some quick cash!"

_Oh, bloody hell!_ Bunny thought as he wasted no time to dart right between the boys legs and ran down the street. This day just kept getting worse and worse.

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Jack hummed as he stuffed his cards and other travel magic tricks into his duffel bag. He only earned a couple of quarters in the last hour, but he'd take what he could get.

"Wonder if I should treat myself to a burger tonight-"

Suddenly, Jack fell back as something rammed straight into him. Jack sat up and stared into the eyes of a very dazed looking rabbit. "Where did you come from?"

The rabbit seemed to come shake himself back to his senses as Jack heard voices.

"Mike! There it is! Overland has it!"

Jack looked up and groaned. Mike and Tony, two thugs that would probably sell their right arm for cash. No wonder the rabbit was running for his life.

The rabbit looked ready to run off again, but Jack acted promptly. He dropped his top hat over the rabbit to trap it while he brought his duffel bag closer. He'd have to do this fast.

Jack barely managed to finish his trick before Mike and Tony halted and glared at him. "All right, Houdini!" Tony snapped. "Hand over the rabbit!"

Jack shrugged as he pulled the hat towards himself. "What rabbit?"

Mike rolled his eyes. "Don't blame games, runt! The one you just stashed under your hat."

"Did I?" Jack smirked as he lifted his hat and reveal nothing there. "Cause unless it's invisible, I'm seeing no rabbit here."

Tony scratched his head confused as Mike fumed and grabbed Jack by his shirt. "I don't have time for your stupid tricks! Where's the rabbit?!" He formed a fist. "Or do you want me to perform my trick of making black eyes appear!"

"Go ahead," Jack replied. "I'd still look better than you two gorillas."

"Why, you little-"

"Ahem!"

Mike and Tony froze as Frank finished clearing his throat and tapped his fingers against the doorknob. "There a problem, boys? Or do I need to call the cops to straighten this out?"

Mike fumed, but cursed as he let go of Jack and shoved him. "You're lucky today, brat."

"Yeah," Tony agreed as they started to walk back where they came. "We'll catch you when your bodyguard isn't around."

Jack stuck out his tongue as he watched the pair leave. "Those two are a pain in a the butt."

"Yes, but you need to learn not to pick fights with people twice your size." Frank frowned. "What were they angry about? Something about a rabbit?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Jack replied as he swung the duffel bag over his shoulder and tried to ignore the added weight he had just stuffed into it. "I should get going."

Frank nodded as he handed Jack a paper bag. "Here, it's mostly glazed, but there are a couple of chocolate and jelly-filled in there."

"Thanks," Jack said as he stole a peek into the bag, "been ages since I had a good sugar high."

Frank chuckled as headed back inside. "Don't make yourself sick, Jack. Stay safe!"

Jack waved as he headed down the street and went into the nearest alley. He set the bag of donuts down so he had both hands to unzip his bag.

"You okay in there little guy?" Jack asked as two long ears and a pair of bright green eyes peeked out. He frowned as he glanced under the rabbit's chin. "No collar, so guess you're wild?" he muttered aloud. "Weird, we don't get many rabbits in the city."

Part of Jack wondered if he should let the rabbit loose, but there were plenty of other creeps like Mike and Tony around and that wasn't including the stray dogs that would love to make a meal out of him.

The rabbit stared at him and Jack gave a smile back. "Guess, I'll take you home with me for tonight." The rabbit made a grunt like noise as Jack zipped the duffel bag up, but left the very end open for the rabbit to have air.

Jack laughed as he picked up his bag of donuts. "Been ages since I've had company for the night, it'll be a nice change." He carefully carried the bag and he headed back down the street, not noticing the thoughtful look the rabbit had on his face.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

On his way home, Jack made a pit stop at a grocery store to pick up a bag of cabbages. He never kept a rabbit before, but they were suppose to eat cabbages, right? Then, to treat himself, he caught a food van before it was closing up for the day and bought himself a burger and fries to go.

Jack was tempted to chow down then, but the sun was setting and he rather not be out on the streets if Mike and Tony decided to carry out their threat. Making sure he wasn't swinging the bag, Jack dashed up the street to the old abandoned stage theater.

Jack imagine it looked rather nice in it's day, but that was a long time ago. No one had bother to step foot in the place for over a decade, which made it the perfect home for Jack. He doubled checked no police officers were watching him before slipping around the back and entering the back door.

Like Jack did everyday since he came her, Jack propped a loose wood board under the knob to keep it somewhat locked before heading to the stage.

"Home, sweet, home," he sang to no one as he walked passed the moth eaten and broken seats and climbed up onto the stage. Jack then set the bag duffel and released the rabbit.

"There you go," Jack said as he set the rabbit down. "Should be safe for you to run around here."

The rabbit glanced around confused. Jack half expected it to just run off, but instead he sat and stared at Jack. "The place isn't much," Jack explained as he pulled over a costume trunk to use as a table. "But better than sleeping on the streets and plenty of blankets in here when it's cold."

Jack then paused. "And I'm talking to you like you can talk back, I wonder if that's a healthy sign or not."

He rubbed the back of his neck as he took his meal and then dug out a couple of cabbages to place in front of the rabbit. "Here you go, sorry it's all I could afford," he took and swallowed a bite of his burger and savoured the taste. "Course," he chuckled as he set the burger down and then popped a fry into his mouth. "Not sure what else a rabbit would eat besides cabbage."

The rabbit tilted his head at Jack, but then took a cabbage and started to munch on it. What was odd though was the rabbit was holding the cabbage between his paws. Was that normal?

Jack shrugged, and ate the rest of his meal. He then took out two of the many water bottles Jack bought when he could and found an old bowl in the trunk.

"Here, you're probably as thirsty as I am," Jack said as he filled the bowl and placed it in front of the rabbit. He watched the rabbit take a long drink before opening his bottle and swallowing a few mouthfuls.

Jack wiped his mouth with his sleeve and glanced at his watch. He debated eating one of the donuts, but decided it was better to save them for breakfast. He then reached into his bag and practice the magic tricks he would do tomorrow.

Out of the corner of his eye, the rabbit was slowly exploring the place, but he didn't seem to be wandering very far. However, as Jack was practicing with is linking rings, the rabbit hopped back over to watch.

Jack grinned as he held out the tricks. "Hey, want to see a trick?"

The rabbit twitched his nose as Jack held out the two rings and tapped them. "See, they look solid right? Can't break through, but watch." Jack held up the top ring and smashed it down into it. When he was done, Jack held it out to show the rings were now linked.

"Neat, huh? First trick my dad ever taught me." The rabbit blinked and tilted his head curiously. "He was a traveling stage magician, so I've been learning this stuff since I could walk."

Jack fingered the rings as he become lost in his memories again, but shook his head. "Anyway, I need to some sleep. Saturday tomorrow, so I need to get up early to hit the park."

He rose and headed to the backstage, and much to his surprise, the rabbit followed. He rearranged the pile of old costumes he used for his bed and blankets, but took a couple of the smaller pieces to make a place for the rabbit.

"I have no clue what rabbits sleep on," Jack said as he patted the pile and look to the small animal. "But this is the best I can do for you."

He patted the rabbit's head before he crawled into his own bed and pulled a large pirate coat over him for a blanket. "Anyway, night, little guy." Jack stole one more peek at him before shutting his eyes. The rabbit seemed to be sniffing the bed, so maybe it was good enough for him.

Tomorrow, he would have to seriously decide what he should do with the rabbit, although Jack couldn't deny he was tempted to just keep him. It felt nice to have another person around to talk to, even if that person was an animal that could talk back. He sighed to himself and wrapped the coat around him a bit tighter to shield himself from the cold. He could feel it was going to be a cold night, but it wasn't long before he fell asleep.

Meanwhile, Bunny frowned as he hopped to the boy and tapped his foot in thought. He like to think he was a decent judge of character and the boy didn't seem like a bad person. The kid did save his neck from those two goons earlier.

Granted, he really disliked the idea of getting a kid involved. He couldn't be any older than 16, although with also raised the question of why he was living on his own in an abandoned theater?

Bunny debated, what to do and sighed. If he wanted to get back to the other Guardians, he had no choice but to talk to the kid and get him to tell him where exactly he was. Then, he would-

The kid's teeth chattering made his ears twitch and caused him to look back. The kid was shivering as he tried to burrow deeper into the large coat. Bunny's ears went back. The cold didn't bother him because of his fur, but it was clear the boy was shivering. Bunny never could stand seeing children being cold, no matter how old.

Bunny paused only for a minute, but once he saw the boy shiver again he took it upon himself to crawl under the coat and nestled into the boy. As he expected, the boy sensed the warmth and in his sleep wrapped an arm around him like Bunny was a teddy bear.

Bunny sighed. He had not planned being used as a stuffed animal tonight, but there were worse ways to sleep. _Like that blasted cage of Pitch's_ Bunny thought with dread. He then shut his eyes and, for the first time in a while, Bunny was able to sleep peacefully without worry, at least for the night.

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This was not good. Onyx had been searching all day and night, and he still had not found the Pooka. He sweated nervously at the thought of returning to his master empty handed. Onyx did not want to be taken apart again. What was he to do?

He heard movement from the next alleyway and peeked in. He saw two teen boys digging through garbage bins, but it was the taller of the two that noticed him. "What? Mind your own business, bud."

Onyx's eyes narrowed, but stayed where he was. "Have you two seen a rabbit?"

The boys suddenly paused, glance to each other and smirked. "Maybe," said the smaller one. "A small grey one?"

Onyx's eyes lit up. Yes! He finally had a lead. "That's it! Where did it go?"

"You got any money?" asked the taller one.

"Well, no," Onyx replied. "The Master doesn't trust me with money."

The boys exchanged a confused expression, but the tall one kept his smirk. "Tough luck, no money, no info." He turned his back. "So, go back to where-"

Onyx cut him off as he grabbed the back of the boy's shirt and pinned him to the wall. He held his mallet sized fist to his face and snarled. "Tell me, where did the rabbit go?"

"Hey, pal! Layoff!" cried the shorter boy, but Onyx simply grabbed him and pinned him to the same wall.

"I'll say it again," Onyx repeated. "Where did the rabbit go?"

The tall boy swallowed and shook. "D-don't know, Overland took him."

"Overland?"

"Jack Overland," stammered the shorter boy. "S-some kid who thinks he's a magician."

"Yeah, he has it," the taller boy said, "he'll probably be in the park tomorrow."

"Thank you." Onyx grinned and dropped the boys. "Now I don't have to worry about getting blood on my shirt, Master would have been displeased."

"Y-Yeah, sure," said the taller boy as he and the other one back away from here. "Glad to be of service."

Onyx smiled as he swiftly left the alleyway to inform his master of his progress.

_Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is so short, but I promise the next chapter will be a lot longer._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Jack awoke to something tickling his nose and warmth being pressed into his chest. He blinked groggily, but fully awoke as grey fur filled his vision.

"Huh?" He sat up and watched the rabbit sit up to scratched one of his ears. I guess he was lonely? I didn't even know rabbits cuddled like that.

Jack yawned as he glanced at his watch. Good, he had plenty of time to eat before heading to the park. "Time for a healthy breakfast of sugar," Jack muttered as he rose back to the stage where he had left the bag of donuts and once again the rabbit followed him.

Before digging to the bag, he gave more water for the rabbit and left out a few more pieces of cabbage. "Maybe if I'm lucky today, I can get carrots for you too," Jack said, as he sat and took out a couple of glazed donuts from the bag. "Or whatever you guys eat."

"I'd like a donut if ya don't mind."

Jack's heart stopped. He leaped to his feet and spun around, but he saw no one. "W-who?" He ran a hand through his hair baffled. "I guess I'm hearing things-"

"Oi! Ya need ta look down!"

Jack froze, and while he didn't want to, force himself to glance downward. The rabbit smirked and waved. "G'day, Mate. Now don't freak-"

Jack yelped in fright, and in his panic, tripped and fell backwards. "Y-You did not just talked!" he exclaimed, and pointed at him. "I-I got to be dreaming. Y-You are-"

The rabbit sighed and, before Jack could sit up, hopped up onto his chest.

"I did talk," he placed a paw over Jack's mouth to keep him from responding. "And before ya ask, no I ani't goin' to hurt ya. I just need ya ta answer some questions for me, alright?"

Jack nodded, which seemed to satisfy the rabbit. "Good...um...what's ya name? Never caught that," the rabbit asked he hopped off.

"Jack Overland," he stammered and stared at him. "Who...or what are you?"

"Name's Aster, but my friends call me Bunny."

"Bunny?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't pick the nickname," Bunny replied shaking his head. "Anyway, I'm a Pooka."

"A Pooka?" Jack asked as he moved closer. "Is that some kind of rare breed of rabbit?"

Bunny twitched an eyebrow. "I'm not a rabbit, okay!"

"You look like a rabbit to me," Jack replied, dryly.

Bunny growled as he shook what Jack assumed to be a fist. "I'm normally bigger than this, like twice ya size, but I got a stupid seal cast on me that's blockin' me magic."

"Seal? Magic?" Jack rubbed his eyes and he sucked air through his teeth. "Slow down, you're not making sense."

Bunny paused, but gave a nod. "Alright, let me start over." He leapt onto the lid of the trunk and looked directly at Jack. "From what I saw in ya do magic tricks, right? The smoke and mirrors kind?"

"Yeah?" Jack replied, slowly.

"Well, I'm talkin' about REAL magic. Spell castin', runes, changing shape, that kind of thing."

Jack stared wide eyed and shook his head. "No way, that doesn't exist."

"Oi! I'm talking anit I?" Bunny replied, sounding a bit insulted. "That should be enough proof."

Jack chewed his bottom lip. He couldn't deny that. There was no way Bunny talking to him was a weird kind of mind trick, unless it was something in the burger he ate. "Sorry, but when your father was a stage magician it's rather hard to believe in real magic," he replied.

Bunny raised an eyebrow, but seemed to decide to let it slide. "Well, it's real, kid and I'm one of the Guardians that try to keep it under control."

"Guardians? Are they talking rabbits too?"

"I'm not a rabbit!" Bunny growled and then decided to steal one of Jack's donuts. "They're human….well, more human looking than me, but my point is they're magic users." He broke off a piece of donut and then popped it into his mouth. "Hey, don't suppose ya any tea for this?"

"Nope, sorry," Jack said as he took a donut for himself, hoping maybe eating something will calm him down and have this somehow make sense. "So, what? You and these other Guardians spend days casting spells?"

"Some, but our main job is keep track on any dangerous magic users."

"Dangerous?"

"You hear a lot of them in fairy tales," Bunny explained. "Turning people into frogs, sleeping spells, the old witch that lives in the woods, ring a bell?"

Jack nodded, but then frowned. "So...what are you doing here then?"

Bunny sighed as he sat down. "I let my guard down and before I realized it, I had stepped into a sealin' ward."

"What's a sealing ward?"

"It's one of the few things people who don't have magic can do, but they're rather complicated." Bunny took another fry. "Basically, it's a punch of runes drawn on the ground with chalk, potions and other stuff like that."

"And that seal turned you into a little rabbit?" Jack concluded. "Who did it? Another magic user?"

"No, worse," Bunny replied bitterly. "An alchemist named Pitch."

"An alchemist?" Jack muttered to himself as he broke off another piece of donut. "You mean the turning the lead into gold kind?"

Bunny scoffed. "If all Pitch cared about was that it'd be the least of our worries, but yeah." He shook his head. "He's always dealin' and experimentin' with different potions and their effects on people and animals."

"And he caught you?" Jack concluded.

"Yeah, but I got away and I need ya to tell me where exactly I am?"

"You don't know?"

Bunny sighed. "I've been kept in a cage for over a week and he made sure I couldn't see where I was going." He hopped to the kid. "So, where am I?"

Jack drummed his fingers against his knee, but then snapped his fingers. "One sec, I got a map around here." He went to a second trunk where he had kept a few items that he never bothered to stuff into his duffel bag. "Here it is!"

He unfolded the map of the whole country. "Dad use to use this for planning where to take his shows." He looked to Bunny. "Where do you live?"

Bunny hopped and pointed far to the east. "Here, we live deep in a forest."

Jack's eyes widened. Oh crud, he wasn't going to like this.

Bunny paused as he saw Jack's shocked expression. "What?"

Jack chewed his bottom lip. "Um...I hate to tell you this, but you're here." He pointed to the opposite direction where Bunny was and landed his finger near the west coast. "In a small city called Rovan."

Bunny's jaw dropped and suddenly let out a series of curse words that would have made a sailor blush. "I'm on the other side of the bloody country?! Arrg!" He flopped and landed on his back. "Fantastic!"

"You said you have magic," Jack said as he refolded the map. "Can't you just fly home or something?"

Bunny raised his head with a skeptic expression. "Magic's different for everyone, Kid. I've never been able, or wanted, to fly in my life." He sat up. "Second, I told ya, my magic's been sealed. Normally, I use my tunnels ta get home, but I can't with this bloody seal on."

"We can't take it off?" Jack asked as he leaned against the trunk.

"Thankfully," Bunny said as he started to pace. "Seals aren't permanent, so it should wear off eventually, but it's not fast enough." He grimly stared at the floor. "I got ta get out of this city before Pitch and his goon finds me again."

Jack choked. "Wait? You mean he's in this city?"

Bunny arched an eyebrow. "Where did ya think I ran from on these short legs? The next state over? Yeah, he's here and he's probably tearin' the place apart lookin' for me." He sighed and started to hop away. "So, I better get movin' before he starts sniffin' around here. See ya!"

"Wait!" Jack exclaimed as he scooped Bunny up into his arms.

"Oi! Put me down!" Bunny said as he squirmed.

Jack ignored him as he forced Bunny to look at him. "There's no way you'll get home on your own. You need my help."

Bunny suddenly looked like he had swallowed a lemon. "What?! You're a kid, I'm not draggin' ya in this." He looked around the stage and shifted uncomfortably. "Besides, won't ya ma be worried about ya?"

Jack gave a sad smile. "She would if she was alive, she died when I was five."

Bunny's ears folded back. "Ya pa?"

"Died in a car accident last year," Jack said, softly.

Bunny looked liked he wanted to say something, but he shut and closed his mouth. "Ya don't have any family?"

Jack shut his eyes in thought. "Think I have a great aunt on my mom's side, but haven't seen her since I was two." He shrugged. "So, once I realized I was going to placed in the ever great foster system I decided to go live on my own."

Bunny looked at Jack sadly, but he tried to laugh it off. "It's no big deal, I'm old enough to take care of myself anyway."

Bunny's expression changed to a suspicious one. "And how old are ya exactly?" he asked with an arch eyebrow.

Jack was quiet.

Bunny tapped his feet. "16?"

"I turn 15 next March."

"Ya only 14!"

"I'm still plenty old enough to be on my own," Jack argued.

Bunny clearly didn't share the opinion as he groaned and buried his face into his tiny paws. "Look, Jack, I appreciate the offer, but ya don't have any money-"

"I do actually," Jack said as he set Bunny down and reached into his duffel bag. "I've been earning money by being a street magician." He crossed his arms. "And if I push it today, I bet we could earn enough for a bus ticket."

Bunny looked tempted, but he shook his head. "No, it's too dangerous."

"How else are you going to get home? Hop?" Jack bent so he and Bunny were eye level. "Face it, Bunny, you need me."

"You're a kid!"

"And yet, I would have an easier time buying a ticket than you would," Jack replied, sharply.

Bunny's ears folded back as buried his face into his little paws and grolwed. "Fine, but as soon as I get home, we're goin' find some safe place for you to live at, maybe that aunt you mentioned is still kickin' around."

That statement surprised Jack. "Why?"

"Well, I'm hardly goin' to let ya live back on the streets, but we'll worry that part later."

Jack shook his head, not sure why Bunny felt the need to worry about that. "We'll finish breakfast, then we'll gather up my supplies and hit the park."

Bunny peeked into the duffel bag that contained Jack's magic tricks. "Ya really think ya can earn enough with this stuff?"

"If I combine it with money I've been saving for emergencies," Jack said as he pointed to the bills he kept hidden in the seam. "We should have enough for a bus ticket by the end of today."

Bunny sighed as he jumped onto the trunk, and took another donut. "Hope ya right, Kid, cause we need ta get out of this city pronto."

Jack gave a nod as he stuffed a donut into his mouth.

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Pitch poured his elixir of life into his coffee, and stirred it in before he sipped it. The bitter taste stung his tongue. The smell of the elixir alone could make a person's stomach lurch. Granted, Pitch made few complaints about it. This grotesque liquid was what had kept him alive for centuries and he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

His cup clicked on the saucer as he looked to where Onyx stood. "And you are certain this Jack has the Pooka?"

"Yes, Master," Onyx replied, "and he should be in the park performing magic tricks."

Pitch scoffed as he drank the rest of his coffee while ignoring the lingering aftertaste. How ironic for a little street magician to get his hands on what was one of the most valuable magical creatures in existence. "Prepare the car, Onyx," Pitch ordered as he rose to fetch his coat. He was going getting the little furball back.

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Bunny peeked out of the duffel bag as Jack made it seem the scarf he was showing to two ladies changed into five different colours. Bunny never held any interest in stage magic or slight of hand tricks, but he had to admit, the kid had a natural knack for it.

Problem was that, while a number of people had stopped to watch Jack's tricks, most of them didn't bother to leave money. Granted, Jack's clothes did scream scruffy street kid. When was the last time the kid had a clean shirt? Bunny couldn't help but conclude that Jack desperately needed new clothes.

The women clapped, and left a couple of dollars into his top hat. Jack waited until the women were out of earshot, before he looked into the duffel bag.

"Good news, we're up to twenty bucks," he said with a grin. "We're doing great today."

Bunny frowned, not nearly as convinced as Jack was. "We've been out here for four hours and we've only made that much?"

"Don't worry, I got a plan," Jack said as he added the money into the duffel bag. "Figure we'll get enough for a ticket if we keep going until this evening and take a late bus."

Bunny thumped his foot nervously. He wanted them out of this city before it got dark again. "Isn't there a way ta earn cash a bit faster?"

"Not unless I have bigger and fancier tricks," Jack said as he reached for his linking rings, and placed his top hat on his head, "and I can only carry so much." He then paused and turned to Bunny. "Although, the old pulling a rabbit out of a hat is always a sure classic."

It seemed to take a moment for Jack's meaning to sink in, but as soon as it did, Bunny growled and said "No."

"Why not?" Jack said.

"Cause I'm not a rabbit!" he shot back as he jabbed a paw at Jack's arm. "And it's undignified to have ya yank me out of a hat!"

"Okay, okay, it was just a thought," Jack said as he turned back to the sidewalk, "but let me know if you change your mind."

Bunny rolled his eyes, and ducked back into the bag as he heard feet approach behind him.

"Hey! You want to see a trick?" Jack asked the person. "Everyone loves a card trick?"

"Are you Jack Overland?"

Dread filled Bunny. He knew that voice! Fearfully, Bunny peeked out, and cursed as his suspicions were confirmed. Onyx was hovering over Jack, and looked ready to strangle him if he blinked funny.

Bunny hastily glanced around, and was grateful there was no sign of Pitch.

During this, Jack dropped his smile and looked puzzled. "Um...yeah? What do you want?"

Bunny gulped. The kid was in trouble, and Onyx could crush his skull like an egg if he wanted. He had to get them out now.

Luckily, Onyx seemed too preoccupied with Jack to noticed the duffel bag wiggle as Bunny moved to the end, and hid behind Jack.

"Where's the rabbit, boy?"

Bunny felt Jack tense, but heard the boy give a force laugh. "Rabbit? You're going to have to be more specific than that? I've seen a lot of them."

Onyx snarled, and grabbed Jack's arms. "The rabbit now or you shall face the rage of my Master!"

"Hey! Let go!" Jack cried as he tried to break free.

Bunny took it as his cue to jump out, and bit down hard on Onyx's hand. The homunculus stumbled back, letting out a cry of pain.

Jack looked dazed, but they didn't have time for that. "Jack! Run!" Bunny cried as he started to run himself.

Jack acted fast as he scooped out the bag, and then seized Bunny with his spare arm. Bunny cursed, he felt so useless being carted around like a kit, but he didn't argue. He glanced back, and saw Onyx was chasing after them at top speed.

"He's gaining on us!" Bunny replied. "Jack! Drop me, and save yaself!"

"Like Hell, I will," Jack muttered as he ran down the steps that lead to the pond. "Question? How smart is this guy?"

"Dumb as bricks," Bunny replied, "why?"

"Cause this trick should work then," Jack said as he went by an open trash can, and grabbed a soda can. He spun around so his back was to the pond, and was greeting Onyx face to face as he dashed down the stairs.

He glared darkly at Jack. "Give me the rabbit, boy!"

"I surrender,"Jack said as he removed his hat, and shielded Bunny with it to hide him. "But if you want the rabbit," he spun around, and tossed the can into the pond, "go get him!"

"No!" Onyx cried as he immediately dove into the pond. Jack dodged the splashes of water as he ran, carefully holding Bunny to his chest.

"Don't know how long he'll be fool by that," Jack whispered. "We need to get out of the park!"

Bunny nodded as he watched Onyx continued to frantically search the pond as he gave an impressed smirk. He had to admit, the kid was crafty.

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"Onyx," Pitch said, as he massaged his temples. "What are you doing in that pond?" They had split up to cover more ground. However, if Pitch had known his servant would be wasting his time swimming, he would have ordered him to stay with the car.

Onyx poked his head out of the water. "Looking for the Pooka, Master!" He continued to gaze into the water. "I found the boy, but he tossed him in the pond and ran off."

Pitch twitched, and dreaded the question he had to ask. "And, pray tell, how long ago was this?"

Onyx paused, and counted on his fingers. "Um...an hour ago?"

Pitch rubbed his eyes. "Did it ever occur to you perhaps even if the boy had actually tossed the furball in there, which I'm certain was a trick, he would have swam out of the pond by now if you haven't seen him yet?"

Onyx frowned as he stroked his chin. "Is that possible?"

"Of course it is!" Pitch snapped. "Where did the boy run to?" Although, it was rather pointless now. If the boy was smart enough to trick Onyx he'd have the common sense to leave the park.

"That way!" Onyx said, as he pointed to the path that Pitch knew led to the exit of the park.

"Then get out of there, and follow me," Pitch snarled. "If we are fortunate, someone saw the boy leave and we can track where he took the Pooka." He shook his head as Onyx climbed out of the pond. Good help was so hard to build.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Jack didn't stop running until he was a few blocks away and found a bench to collapse on. Bunny hopped out of Jack's duffel bag as he sniffed the air and moved to the other end of the bench. "Looks like we lost him."

Jack reached into his bag for his bottle of water, and emptied. "Was that Pitch?"

Bunny shook his head. "Naw, he wouldn't fall for a trick that stupid. That fella was Onyx, he's Pitch's homunculus servant."

Jack tilted his head. "Homunculus? What's that?"

"A creature that was made using alchemy," Bunny said as he hopped into Jack's lap. "He's real stupid, but he's as strong as an ox, so ya don't want ta be pickin' fights with him."

Jack ran a hand through his hair. This Pitch was able to create thugs like Onyx? What on earth was Pitch like? Some kind of real life Dr. Frankenstein?

"If Onyx was there Pitch wasn't too far behind," Bunny said as he poked at Jack's chest. "We got ta get out of this city, and fast."

Jack clasped his chin. "I could head to the farmer's market, usually busy, but we're losing valuable time here."

Bunny sighed as he thumped his foot in thought. "So, ya need a way ta get more money and fast?"

"Yeah," Jack said, and smiled, "and I do know that people tend to pay good money for the rabbit in a hat trick."

Bunny cringed, but gradually lifted his head. "Does it pay that much better?"

"A lot more," Jack said seriously. "If you want us to earn enough to get out of here by this evening, it's the best way to do it."

Bunny slumped, and looked he was about to be dunked into a cold bath. "Arrg, fine! I'll let ya pull me out of that blasted hat."

"You won't regret it," Jack said as he scooped Bunny up. "So, what's the best way to pull you out? By your ears or feet?"

Bunny moaned. "This is goin' ta be a long day."

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Miles away, at the far other end of the country, North sighed as he stared at his miniature globe. He had recited the same spell for the fifth time that day, but, once again, the light that should have revealed where Bunny was had dimmed and died.

North cursed, as he pounded his fist on his desk. "Still nothing!" He rubbed his eyes as he rose, and ventured into the other room. He saw Tooth was still talking on the phone and Sandy was searching on the computer.

"And you're sure you haven't heard from him?" North heard Tooth asked as she held up a hand. "Alright, thanks Ombric. Yes, we'll let you know once we find him." She gave a sigh as she hung up the phone.

"No, luck?" North asked as he leaned against the table.

"Ombric hasn't seen him, but he promises to keep an eye out for him," Tooth said as she wrapped her hands around her lukewarm tea. "Did you get the tracking spell to work?"

"No, something is blocking magic from finding him," North said, as he patted his stomach. "Bunny is in trouble, Tooth. I feel it in belly."

Tooth nodded in agreement as she glanced to the phone. "When we find him, I don't care how much he grumbles, we are teaching him how to use a phone."

Sandy stomped his foot as he spun in his chair and reached for a pad of paper and a pen. Since Sandy was unable to speak, he usually relied on either using his sand to create images or if he wasn't pressed for time he would write them out on paper. Tooth and North waited until Sandy held up what he wrote.

"Phone, nothing," Sandy had written on the pad of paper. "We're giving him a crash course in technology when he gets home!"

"No argument there," North muttered. The Pooka had never cared much for technology, and normally the look of horror Bunny would give upon seeing a cellphone would be a source of amusement. Now, with no idea where their friend was or how to contact him, it wasn't funny.

"Do you think we should call, Manny?" Tooth asked.

"Why?" Sandy wrote. "Manny maybe one of the oldest magic users, but his magic wouldn't be anymore powerful for tracking than North's would."

"Is sad, but true," North said, as he looked to Sandy. "Did your divination at least tell you anything?"

Sandy sighed as he took a minute to flip the paper and write more. "Not much, but that's divination for you. I do know he's alive, and has someone with him."

North raised an eyebrow. "Who is with Bunny?"

Sandy shut his eyes in thought and wrote more. "Young...a kid possibly? Also, he's going to have an encounter with snow in his future."

"Snow? Why snow?" Tooth asked as she exchanged a confused expression with North. It was near the end of fall, and winter would be coming soon, but what would that have to do with Bunny?

"No clue," Sandy wrote, and then smirked. "But if predicting the future was easy, I'd be making a fortune guessing lottery numbers."

North chuckled softly, knowing fully well that Sandy was the last person to abuse his magic for personal use. He ran a hand through his beard. "Still, young? I wonder if Bunny found an apprentice?"

Sandy's eyes narrowed as he wrote. "There's one thing I do know, Bunny was being chased by shadows and I don't have to translate that for you do I?"

Tooth, and North nodded grimly. They all knew whenever ever Sandy had a vision of shadows, Pitch was never that far behind. "So, what do we do?" Tooth asked as she reached out to North.

"We wait," North said sourly. "Can not stand it, but is all we can do."

Tooth gently squeezed North's hand in comfort. They just had to hope whoever was with Bunny was keeping their friend safe.

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Jack managed to snag a spot across from where the vegetable vendor was selling his last crop for the season. As Jack predicted, Bunny was a huge hit. Once Bunny was pulled of the hat, all the kids, and couples on the street would stop to look at him.

Jack grinned, as he set up the trick again for the latest crowd. Adorableness was really the best money maker around.

"Behold that the hat is empty!" Jack said as he spun his top hat around for the family to see. "But, I think there's something in here."

The two little girls exchanged confused looks, as Jack pretended it took all of his muscle to yank out Bunny. "One sec...almost...Ta da!"

The girls gasped, as Jack held Bunny up back the back of his neck. "Now, where did this little fella come from?" Jack said with a smile as he set Bunny on the ground.

The younger girl squealed. "He's so cute! Can I pet him? PLEASE!"

"Sure,"Jack replied, as Bunny's eyes widened.

The girl giggled as she scratched under his chin. "He's so fluffy and soft!"

Briefly, Bunny looked like he was in paradise, and was about to melt under the girl's touch. However, Bunny seemed to recall what was happening and stepped away from the girl. "What do I look like? A teddy bear?"

Jack's heart stopped beating as the girls, jumped back. _Crud! Bunny! You're blowing our cover! _he thought.

Bunny became stiff, with a look full of regret. Jack was ready to grab him, and run before anyone asked questions, but the girls' father laughed.

"Wow, you're a ventriloquist too?" he said as he dropped a ten dollar bill into the hat. "That takes real skill."

Jack recollected himself as he picked up Bunny. "Well, you know using a rabbit is cheaper than building a puppet." Jack poked Bunny's back, and was thankful when Bunny got the message.

"Err….yeah, plus I'm better for travel size," Bunny said with a forced smile.

The girls laughed, and the taller one looked up to her dad. "Daddy, can we get a bunny?"

"We'll see," the father said, as he took the girls hands and gave a nod of thanks to Jack. "But we got to get home first."

"Bye, Mister Bunny!" the younger girl said as she waved.

Bunny and Jack both waved, and slumped once they were out of sight. "Geez, Bunny, what were you thinking?" Jack hissed. "You nearly gave me a heart attack talking all of a sudden."

Bunny growled. "It was instinct, and it wouldn't have happened if ya didn't let that girl pet me."

Jack smirked. "Funny, you seemed to be enjoying it enough."

Bunny huffed, and folded his arms. "That was for show! I'm a warrior, I ain't cute and cuddly."

"Oh," Jack said as he reached out scratched under Bunny's chin. "So, this doesn't feel good at all?"

Bunny looked like he was about ready to melt again, until he swatted Jack's hand away. "Cut that out!" He hopped off of Jack's lap, and into the bag. "We've been here all day, do we have enough?"

Jack counted the money he got from the hat. "Looks like we reached our goal, and even more so." He grinned. "Told you the old rabbit trick would bring in quick cash."

Bunny sighed. "Yeah, fine, I'll admit when I'm wrong," he glanced around, anxiously. "Still no sign of Onyx or Pitch, but I say we head ta the bus station while the gettin's good."

"Sure," Jack replied as he gathered up their stuff, he almost tucked his handcuffs into the bag, but decided to save room and stuffed them into his pockets. He wanted to give Bunny much room in the bag as he could.

Although, so far, they had been lucky that Onyx hadn't bumped into them again, but Jack wasn't sure how long their luck would hold out. "I'll use every cent we got on the bus ticket," Jack said as he picked up both Bunny and the bag.

"All of it?" Bunny said as he looked thoughtful, and then shook his head. "No, only half."

"Half?" Jack choked.

"That still be enough for a ticket," Bunny argued. "Or have prices gone up since I last looked."

"No, we get out of the city" Jack said, as he held Bunny to his chest, "but we get a lot farther, and, closer to your home I might add, if we spend all of it."

Bunny frowned. "And how would we pay for food once we get there?" He poked at Jack's shirt. "Not ta mention, gettin' ya new clothes."

"Clothes?" Jack asked, baffled.

"Ya get more money if ya looked more like a professional than a scruffy street kid," Bunny said. "No time for shoppin' now, but figure we get ya new clothes once we're out of here."

"You're concerned over that?" Jack asked with a scoff. "We can make more money at the next city."

"Rather get ya new clothes as soon as we get there," Bunny said. "And food, and not ta mention a hair cut."

Jack fingered his light brown hair. "My hair is fine," Jack replied, "and I don't need the other stuff."

Bunny crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, I won't be doin' any more 'rabbit tricks' until ya got a proper clean up."

Jack ran a hand through his hair. Why was Bunny concerned over something so trivial? Wasn't his life on the line? "How about a compromise? I'll save a third of the money for that stuff, we'll hit a thrift shop," he lifted Bunny to his face, "but no hair cut."

"Fine," Bunny said as Jack lowered him, "but mark my words, ya'll get a haircut."

Jack chuckled as he recalled his father use to make the same threat.

At the exact same moment, back in the farmer's market, Onyx panted as he raced back to the car where Pitch sat. "According to the man that sells vegetables, the boy sat across from him with the rabbit, but they left moments ago."

Pitch shut his eyes in thought. "The Pooka and the boy must be planning on leaving the city together. The bus is the only thing they could afford," he looked to Onyx and pointed to the driver's seat. "Drive us to the bus station, we'll catch them by surprise."

"Yes, Master," Onyx replied as he climbed into his seat, and Pitch grinned to himself.

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Bunny hated having to be carried around like he was a newborn kitten, but it was faster to let Jack carry him to the bus station. Not to mention it attracted less attention. He caught a glimpse of a pay phone and winced. North, Tooth and Sandy were probably worried sick about him.

He never bothered keeping up with technology, but Bunny was starting to wish he had. Things would be easier if he knew the freaking phone number-

"Hey, Bunny?"

Bunny woke from his thoughts as he glanced up to Jack. "What's up, Kiddo?"

Jack seemed to be in deep thought, as his lips formed a firm line. "I get this Pitch guy is after you, but why?" He glanced down. "Does he just have a grudge against you or something?"

Bunny paused. "Well, can't say it's the first time someone's hunted a Pooka." He flexed his ears. "See, people, especially alchemists have hunted Pookas for centuries cause we can be used for special ingredients."

He noticed Jack winced. "Dare I ask what you mean by ingredients?"

"You know how people wanted unicorns to cut off their horns? Same thing for Pookas, our feet, heart, even fur had magical properties for potions."

"And that's why Pitch wants you? To cut you up?" Jack asked as they crossed the street.

Bunny's ears twitched as he heard a car honked. Man, he hated cities. "Not quite, Pitch wants me alive to awake the magic inside him."

"What do you mean?" Jack said as he ignored the odd look a man was giving him for talking to a rabbit.

"Remember what I said about real magic?" Bunny said, and Jack confirmed with a nod. "See, people can't learn it, ya have ta be born with a knack for it, and it's tricky ta awaken if ya have it."

"How do you normally do it?" Jack asked.

"Normally, usually life or death situation triggers it, " Bunny explained and shrugged, "heard a lightning strike can do the trick if ya survive it."

"That sounds pleasant," Jack muttered.

"Yeah, but there's a third option," he pointed to himself, "me. Pookas have a natural ability ta sense magic in people and awake it for them. In fact, I awoke it for my friend North." He gave a chuckle.

That had been a fun day, it took forever to get North to calm down. Course, North had been a bandit at the time, and Bunny admitted he was the last person he thought would have the potential for magic in him.

Jack chewed his bottom lip in thought. "So, Pitch wants you to awaken magic in him?"

"Yeah, and that's the last thing I want ta do," Bunny replied as his eyes narrowed. "He's dangerous enough with his knowledge of alchemy alone. He's been after me for centuries, but rather die than give him what he wants."

He really didn't want to tell Jack the horror stories he had about Pitch. He knew in some parts of Eastern Europe Pitch had earned the name of the Boogeyman for a reason.

Jack subconsciously rubbed his cold fingers against Bunny's warm fur. "Would it be that terrible?"

"Letting him have access ta magic," Bunny said with a shiver, "would be like givin' a fox access ta a chicken house."

"Okay, so stay away from crazy man, got it," Jack replied as he crossed another street. The kid went silent and seemed lost in thought. Bunny frowned and wondered if Jack was starting to regret coming along with him. Not that Bunny blamed him. Jack was just a kid and it was his job, as a Guardian, to protect kids. What right did he have dragging Jack into this?

"Jack," Bunny said, as he cleared his throat. "If ya want out, I won't mind-"

"Do I have magic?" Jack asked.

Bunny's ears folded back in shock. "What?"

"Do I have magic? You said you can sense it right?" Jack asked, grinning from ear to ear. "I've never believed in magic, but I have always wished it was real since I was a kid."

Bunny's jaw dropped. He was seriously asking if he could have magic after everything he just heard?! "Ya not serious?"

"Oh, come on, it be great!" Jack said as he held Bunny up to his face. "Think of the magic tricks I could do?"

"That's what ya think about?!" Bunny exclaimed. The kid realized he could have power at his fingertips, and tricks are the first thing he thinks about? He shook his head. "Jack, the chances of ya havin' magic is slim."

"Ah, come on," Jack pleaded. "What's the harm in checking?"

Bunny growled as he rubbed his paw against his forehead. "Fine!" He snapped as he held an ear to Jack's chest, "but don't get ya hopes up over nothin' cause-" Bunny cut himself as he felt a vibration. He froze, and concentrated. Magic often worked like an electrical circuit. They all held different sensations for what kind they were, but the basic feel of magic felt like static electricity.

And he could feel it in Jack.

"Bloody Hell," Bunny muttered, "ya do have magic in ya."

"I do?!" Jack asked like he been told he'd won a million dollars. "So can you awaken it for me?"

"Oh, no!" Bunny snapped. "Ya can forget about that right now!"

Jack's smile dropped, as they paused in front of the bus station. "Why? You just said-"

"Magic isn't like a water tap ya can turn on and off," Bunny replied, sharply. Honestly, kids. "There are a ton of consequences for havin' it, and once it's awaken there's no turning back."

"But, wouldn't it be easier for us if I had magic?" Jack said, earnestly.

Bunny was hesitant. Truth was, if Bunny awoke Jack's power, not only would Jack receive magic, but by channeling it into himself, Bunny might be to partially break the seal Pitch placed on him.

But the price was for Jack to be thrown into the world of magic, which could be a dangerous place for a kid his age. There was no way to predict what kind of magic a person would get, never mind the prolong life that went with it. Jack was young, and probably didn't fully comprehend what that meant. Bunny had seen many magic users regret receiving their 'gift' and he didn't want Jack to have that.

"I said, no," Bunny replied with a fierce expression. No way was he dragging this kid in further. Bunny's top priority was making sure Jack had a normal life to go back to once he was home.

Jack sighed and, while he looked unconvinced, he nodded. "Alright, fine, I'll drop it for now. Let's go get our tickets."

Bunny gave a nod as they entered the bus station, but he sensed from the scowl Jack was giving, the kid hadn't fully given up on the idea.

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Jack still felt annoyed at Bunny for not even considering awaking the potential magic in him. Ever since he was little, he had wished magic was real, and he was so close to making the dream a possibility. Just imagine the kind of magic tricks he could do!

Jack mused perhaps he could convince Bunny later as he spied the ticket booth. Before the ticket seller could see, Bunny went back inside the duffel bag and Jack cleared his throat as he approached.

"One ticket please," Jack said as he glanced up to the ticket prices overhead. "To Densworth."

The ticket seller glanced up from his paper and skeptically looked Jack over. "You sure you got the money for that, kid?"

"Yup," Jack said as he brought out the cash. "All right here."

The man raised an eyebrow, but he took the money and counted. "One ticket to Densworth," he replied as he printed out the ticket, and gave Jack his change. "You better hurry up though. Bus will be leaving in five minutes."

"Thanks!" Jack replied, with a wave and picked up his pace. "Hold tight, Bunny," Jack said as he ran down the ramp that lead to the platform. "We'll be out of here-"

Jack stumbled as he collided into a man. He would haven't fallen over if the man hadn't steadied him by grabbing his shoulders.

"Sorry, about that," Jack said, with a blush. "Wasn't watching here I was going."

The man offered a smile that sent shivers down Jack's spine. "No, harm done."

Suddenly, Jack felt Bunny try to kick him from within the bag.

"Large bag you have there," the man said as he kept the eerie smile and made Jack feel more uncomfortable with each passing second.

"Yeah...um, I got to hurry," Jack replied. "Sorry, I'm running late." He went to move around him, but the man kept the hold on his arm.

"No, need to rush, is there, Jack?"

The blood drained from the boy's face. "What did you say?"

The man's face drew closer. "You are Jackson Overland, correct?"

Jack gave a forced laugh. "No, sorry, my name is-"

The man's gripped tightened. "Don't play games with me, Boy!" He hissed. "You have the Pooka," he started to reach toward the zipper of the bag, "and I'm taking him back."

"Wait!" Jack stammered, as he reached inside his pocket for the handcuffs. "I'll surrender, just don't unzip that bag."

The man stared crossly at him. "And why shouldn't I unzip it?"

"Because I couldn't do this!" Jack whipped out the handcuffs and in a flash got one end to click around the man's wrist. Startled, them accidently let go of Jack's arm which gave Jack the freedom to spin around and handcuff the man to the railing of the ramp.

The man snarled as he pulled at the cuffs. "You little- GET ME OUT OF THIS THING THIS INSTANT!"

Jack didn't stay to hear the rest of the insults as he ran. "Bunny, that-"

"Was Pitch!" Bunny cried as he poked his head out. "That's why I kicked was tryin' ta warn ya-Look out!"

Onyx spotted Jack up head and raced towards him. Jack dodged and it resulted in Onyx colliding with a pair of trash bins. Jack glanced back to see Onyx pick himself back up as he reached the platform.

"Which bus?! Which bus?!" Bunny cried, as he never frantically looked around.

"Uh...five!" Jack turned and spotted the bus as the last couple of people climbed on. "There it is!"

Bunny dove deep into the back as Jack's adrenaline took over and raced to the bus. "Wait! Wait for me!"

The bus doors had nearly closed, but re-opened as Jack skidded to a stop. "Cutting it close there," the bus driver said as Jack galloped up the steps. "Got your ticket?"

"Yeah, here!" Jack said as he waved it to her. The bus driver read it over as Jack looked back and saw Onyx emerged.

"Seat's in the back is free," she replied and handed back the ticket. "But no funny business-"

"Yeah, sure, got it!" Jack cried as he ran to the back, and sat. "Let's go!"

The other passengers stared at him curiously, but the driver paid Jack no heed as she shut the door. The bus drove away just as Onyx had reached them.

"We made it," Jack breathed as he watched out of the window. "We're home free."

"We're on the bus," Bunny replied from the bag, "but we ain't out of the woods yet."

Jack frowned, as he pressed his forehead against the window. At least for now they were safe.

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Back at the station, Pitch cursed as he poured the last of his metal dissolving potion onto the cuffs. In mere seconds, the potion burned and ate through the metal until Pitch was able to snap the handcuff in two with his other hand.

He sighed as he stared into the empty bottle. It took three months to make one vial of it, and due to that brat he'd had to make more. He pocketed the vial as he kicked the remains of the handcuffed away.

Jack was smart, at least smarter than most boys his age would be. He stroked his chin in thought. Pitch could use people that didn't have half a brain like Onyx. Perhaps, the boy could be useful to him.

"Master!" Onyx screeched as he stumbled and bowed to him. "I-I'm sorry, Master, but the boy and Pooka got away on the bus."

Pitch shut his eyes. He had been hopeful Onyx would catch them, but he wasn't shocked in the least his minion failed. "Did you see what bus they got on?"

"Y-yes, Master."

Pitch sharply turned back to the ticket booth. "Then come, we shall find out where that bus is going and catch up to them."

He would get the Pooka back, and he'd use Jack to do it. Pitch smirked to himself as a plan formed in his head. Pitch was going to have 'fun' with this boy. Great fun.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The bus drove and only stopped every couple of hours for rest stops. Jack tried to stay alert each time he and Bunny were forced to leave the bus. He didn't say it aloud, but Jack was paranoid of Pitch sneaking up behind him when he wasn't looking.

He had only spent a few minutes with him, but Jack was certain he would feel safer around a rabid dog. He hadn't realized he had fallen asleep in his chair, until Bunny awoke him.

"Jack, wake up."

Jack's eyes fluttered as he yawned. "Morning, Bunny." He rubbed the back of his neck, and glanced around to be certain no one could overhear them. Thankfully, there were few passengers, and they were all sitting up near the front. "We almost there?"

"Heard the driver say we'll be there in another hour," Bunny replied as he was careful to not fully peek out of the bag.

"Right," Jack said as he looked at his watch. "I've never been to this city, so will probably take us longer to bring in money since I don't know the hot spots."

Bunny nodded in agreement. "Well, once we get there, we'll make cleanin' ya up a priority."

Jack rolled his eyes. "I don't look that bad." Granted, Jack had been living on the streets so long, he's sense of hygiene had probably been lowered without realizing it.

"Trust me, ya do," Bunny said sternly. "We'll clean ya up, get clothes, and then get the cash ta get out of there as fast as possible."

"Why the rush, though?" Jack replied. "We could spend the night there. Pitch doesn't know where we went."

"Not worth takin' a chance, trust me," Bunny replied. "The Guardians and I have messed with him more times than I like ta count."

Jack leaned against the window, as he fiddled with the handle of his bag. "Hey, you never told me, but how many Guardians are there?"

Bunny blinked. "Well, let's see, there's my friend North, Sandy and Tooth." He tapped his chin in thought. "With me that's four, but five if I include Ombric. He's a part-time Guardian."

"How can someone be a part-time Guardian?"

"He doesn't live with us," Bunny said. "He travels around the country, doin' research, but keeps an ear out for trouble. He does have an apprentice, although she's too young to be considered a full fledged Guardian."

"You guys take apprentices?" Jack asked, curiously.

"Well, someone has ta be there ta teach a beginner about magic, too dangerous if they learn by themselves." Bunny poked his face out of the bag. "Then, there's Manny ta consider too, but he's more of a commander."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

"Manny is one of the oldest magic users on the planet, next ta me. He's the one that founded the Guardians, but he doesn't live with us either."

"Because he does research like this Ombric guy?" Jack asked as he rested his head on his hand.

"Not quite, he's always been a nomad. His power comes from the Moon, so he's more powerful than most. He doesn't like staying in one place for more than a year to avoid attracting attention." He shrugs. "That's just how he is."

Jack narrowed his eyes as he stared out of the window. "My dad was a bit of a nomad too, he was always travelling to do his magic shows." He traced his finger along the window ledge. "After, my mom died, dad took me along with him on his trips. Besides that possible great aunt I mentioned, we had no other family to take care of me."

"That be rough on a kid," Bunny replied, softly.

"Wasn't easy, but it was fun," Jack said with a wistful smile. "He even home schooled me, and he was a fun teacher," he shut his eyes in memory. "And, for the record, he would have loved all this real magic talk."

"Sure he would have," Bunny said as he patted Jack's hand, and looked to peek out of the window as well. They both sat, and enjoyed the quiet for the rest of the bus ride.

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After they got off the bus, Bunny and Jack managed to find a diner and ordered breakfast. Jack had ordered scramble eggs and bacon for himself, and he had assumed Bunny would want something vegetable related.

However, Bunny surprised Jack by requesting scrambled eggs for himself as well. Jack wanted to ask, but he was too hungry to care and asked for it to go. Although, when he and Bunny found a park bench to eat of the takeaway boxes he couldn't resist staring at Bunny as the little rabbit ate a mouthful of egg.

Bunny swallowed and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You eat eggs?" Jack replied as he chewed a piece of bacon.

"Yeah, so?"

"Aren't rabbits suppose to only eat veggies?" Jack asked scratching his head.

Bunny sighed as his ears gave an irritated twitch. "First off, I ani't a rabbit! How many times do I have ta say that?" He pointed his plastic fork at Jack. "Secondly, I may not eat meat like beef and such, but I eat plenty of eggs." He shoved another forkful into his mouth as if to make a point. "Eggs are a big part of Pooka culture."

Jack opened his carton of chocolate milk and swallowed a mouthful. Man, it had been ages since he had it and it tasted as good as he remembered. "Where do Pookas live anyway?" Jack asked as he wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "Are you like fairies and you live in your own realm?"

"Use a napkin," Bunny scolded as he held one up for Jack, "and no, we tended to keep to ourselves deep in forests or valleys." Bunny paused as Jack took the napkin and his eyes soften, the ways Jack did when he thought of his father. "Well, at least we did."

Jack wiped his mouth and crumpled up the napkin as he debated if he should pry. "What do you mean did?"

It was then Bunny seemed to remember where he was and shook his head. "Nevermind, just finishing eating so we can get ya washed up and dressed properly."

Jack rolled his eyes as he ate the rest of his bacon.

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It was a bit tricky to sneak Bunny into the old thrift shop and it didn't help matters that the shop owner gave him odd looks. Jack and Bunny debated a bit on what he should wear. All Jack wanted was a t-shirt and jeans, but Bunny didn't agree. He insisted Jack needed clothes that would 'make people take him more seriously'.

Thankfully, Jack managed to talk Bunny out of the blue blazer, but he was unable to wiggle out of buying a white button shirt with a vest and even a tie. Jack cringed at the bowtie. It was far too prim and proper for his tastes. Although, his memory reminded Jack his father wore one often, so he ended up not protesting too much. As soon as Jack changed into his new clothes, Bunny told Jack he should throw his old ones away, but Jack disagreed. "Be easier to keep them clean if I only wear them for the shows," he argued.

He could tell by Bunny's ear twitch he didn't carry the same opinion. Then came the haircut, Jack still wasn't sure how Bunny managed to convince him to get one.

Perhaps it was the look Bunny gave. It reminded Jack of the looks his father would give when he made the same protests as a child. Perhaps Jack had subconsciously figured it was the only way to get Bunny to stop nagging him. Either that or Bunny had cast some kind of spell on Jack that suddenly made him think getting a haircut would be the best thing ever.

All Jack knew was somehow Bunny had gotten Jack to drag his feet to the hair saloon. Jack was really starting to wonder how this little a tiny creature could tell him what to do.

The hairdresser at the desk gave Jack an odd look when he entered, probably wondering how on earth Jack's hair had gotten so scruffy looking. He blushed as he mumbled out he needed a haircut, and a jab from Bunny's foot in the bag reminded Jack he needed a hair wash too. They only had waited a couple of minutes when a woman with rainbow hair came up and gave Jack a smile as she guided him into the chair.

Jack suddenly felt antsy as he set the bag next to the seat and the hairdresser wrapped a cape around him to protect his clothing. It had been ages since he had gotten a haircut, and he had never gone to a hairdresser without hearing his father at the desk making the hairdressers laugh while doing some of his tricks.

"Won't be a sec, hon," the lady said as she turned on the water and tilted the chair back. "Been awhile since you had a haircut I take it?"

"Yeah, something like that," Jack replied as the lady got out a shampoo bottle and then proceeded to soak Jack's hair. He had to admit, it felt nice and soon turned into amazing as the lady massaged his scalp with the warm water and shampoo.

He was dreading being bombarded with questions, but the lady kept silent and let Jack enjoy the moment in bliss while he had his eyes shut. He wondered if he was going to fall asleep when the lady finished rinsing his hair and wrapped a towel around his head.

"Now, phase two," the lady said as Jack's chair was sat back up and she finished drying his hair with the towel to the point it wasn't dripping, but was still damp. She then reached for the scissors and turned Jack's chair around.

Jack cringed as he heard snips and watch pieces of his hair float to the floor. He stole a glance at the bag where Bunny was who was giving Jack a smug grin.

_If I go bald it's your fault!_ Jack thought as the lady turned him and attacked his bangs. It didn't take long for brown hair to cover the floor like it was a rug.

"Almost done," the lady reassured him as she reached for some moose and brushed it through his hair with her fingers. She then finished by blowing his hair dry and grinned as she spun him around to look in the mirror. "There, how's that, hon?"

Jack blinked. His hair was short and spiked again like it had been before his dad died and he had run off to be on his own. It had been so long since he'd seen the old him. "It's great," Jack said softly as she removed the cape. "Thanks a lot."

The lady gave a smile as Jack tipped her and then finished paying at the desk. As they left the saloon, Bunny's head poked out of the bed. "Hey look, there was a person under all that hair."

"Oh, shut up," Jack replied with a half smile.

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Jack had to admit, there may have been some logic in Aster suggesting he get more money if he dressed better. Not as many people looked over him or passed him by as he performed his tricks.

Truthfully, it was even better. He attracted some people with his usual cards tricks, linking rings and having his scarf changed into a series of colours. However, it quickly turned into a small crowd as Jack caused the balls he was juggling to both disappear and reappear.

He grinned with excitement as he saw dollars and coins being dropped into his top hat. Then came the final and most crowd pleasing trick; the rabbit out of a hat. As usual Bunny wasn't thrilled but he let Jack once again yank him out of the hat for the crowd to see.

They all clapped and laughed as Jack displayed Bunny for all to see. "Ta da!" he cried.

The kids laughed and exclaimed how cute Bunny was as the adults dropped money into the hat. Both Jack and Bunny gave a quick bow as they finished, and the crowd disbanded.

"Told ya a proper wash and new clothes would improve business," Bunny said.

"Yeah, yeah, your looks are enough of an 'I told you so'," Jack retorted as he gathered up his tricks and dumped them into the bag.

"I just wanted made clear who's the real brains of this operation here," Bunny said with a smirk as Jack picked him up. He carried Bunny to an abandoned park shed they had stumbled across earlier and glanced side to side before stepping inside. He rather count their money away from prying eyes.

"We should have enough for another bus ticket," Jack said as counted and rolled his eyes. "And yes, I'm setting aside money for food before you tell me to."

"Good ta see ya learnin'- Oi! What are you doing?" Bunny cried.

Jack finished removing his shirt and vest. "I'm changing into my old clothes."

"Why?" Bunny asked as he hopped and held up the new clean shirt. "We bought them for you to wear."

"For my magic tricks," Jack corrected as he turned his back to change his pants. "Be easier to keep them clean if I change into my old clothes for traveling."

He noticed Bunny's eye twitched. "Normally, I would argue but we should get moving. We don't know when Pitch will catch up to us."

Jack rose and snagged a twenty from the bag. "Let me just go grab some food from that diner we found across from the park and we can head to the bus station."

Bunny sighed as Jack headed out the shed door. "Fine but don't be long."

"I won't," Jack replied.

"And don't talk to strangers, ya don't know this town," Bunny yelled.

Jack rolled his eyes. He had thought his father had been bad. "I know," he gave a smirk "I'll be quick like a bunny."

"Ha ha," Bunny commented dryly as Jack shut the door. "Real cute."

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"There's still no sign of them, Master," Onyx replied as he stopped the car at the next corner.

Pitch growled from the back seat, but held his temper. "Drive around the block again, we know they must be in this town somewhere." He turned his gaze from the window to Onyx.

"What if we find the boy and not the Pooka?" Onyx asked.

Pitch gave a smirk as he patted the vials in his coat pocket. "Don't worry, I have special plans for him."

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Jack whistled as he jogged across the street and spotted. "Good, now to order something quick." Jack pondered his options as he walked along the sideway. "Burger be quick, but I wonder if they have veggie burgers for-"

Suddenly, arms grabbed him from behind. Jack tried to cry out ,but a hand covered his mouth as he was dragged into the alley way.

"I got him, Master!" Onyx cried as Jack squirmed and tried to kick himself free, but Onyx kept his hold. Jack's face then paled as Pitch turned to him and greeted Jack with a cruel smile.

"Hello again, Jack," Pitch greeted.

Onyx then removed his mouth off of Jack's mouth and the boy responded with a growl. "Let go of me you creeps!"

"Now, now," Pitch chided as he approached. "There is no need to make this so difficult." He tapped the tips of his fingers together as he paced. "All we want is Aster and we need you to do it."

Onyx kept Jack's arms pinned as Jack snarled. "Forget it! I won't tell you where he is!" His eyes narrowed. "I won't help you capture, Bunny!"

Pitch cupped Jack's chin. "Oh, you'll help me, Boy, whether you want to or not." He slipped a hand into his coat, and brought out a vial. "But, we shall have to do something about your appearance first."

Jack paled as he watched Pitch yank out the cork. "What's that?"

"Something...life changing," Pitch answered as he forced Jack to hold his head up. "Time for a drink."

Pitch poured the liquid into Jack's mouth. Jack shivered at the intense cold of the drink, and gagged as he tried to keep from swallowing. It was fruitless as Pitch held his mouth, and pinched his nose. "Now be a good boy, and swallow," Pitch laughed. Jack's body had no choice, but let the vile liquid go down his throat so he could breathe.

When it was done, both Pitch and Onyx let go of Jack and watch him coughed, while gripping his throat. "W-what," Jack gasped, "did you give-"

Suddenly, his body started to convulse. Jack whimpered in pain. He wrapped his arms around himself as Pitch laughed.

"Don't worry," Pitch taunted, "it will be over soon."

Everything was hot, like Jack's bones were melting inside him. Then to his horror, his fingers started to merge together, and he started shirking. He found his clothes didn't shrink with him. Within seconds, Jack's vision was full of darkness as he shrank into his shirt.

Then, finally, the shrinking stopped and his body went still. Despite the ache in his body, he motivated himself to climb out of his shirt.

Pitch grinned once he was in sight. "Now, that is much better."

Jack ignored him as he stared at his now brown fur covered paws and a long ear dropped over his eyes. "What did you do to me?!" Jack cried.

"I've turned you into a rabbit," Pitch explained and bent to pick Jack up. He tried to run, but Pitch grabbed him by the back of his neck and dangled Jack in front of his face. "Rather fitting for a magician, don't you agree?"

Jack squirmed, and tried to use his new hind legs to kick Pitch. "Change me back now!"

"I'm afraid that will be left up to Aster," Pitch said as Onyx brought a cage, and dropped Jack into it. "But don't worry, Jack. If Aster doesn't come, I'll take good care of you."

Jack tried to not let his body shake in fear as Pitch continued to laugh.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Something had gone wrong. Bunny didn't exactly know what or how, but, as North would state it, he felt it in his belly. Jack should have been back by now, the kid had been gone way too long.

Bunny hoped he was being paranoid as he left the safety of the shed and made his way to where the diner was suppose to be. He peeked from under the bushes at the edge of the park and waited until no cars were driving by before he ran across the street.

He stood on his hind legs to look into the diner window and his dread increased when there was no sign of Jack. Bunny then immediately put his nose to the ground and thanked the stars he was able to pick up the boy's scent.

He traced the trail into the alleyway and stared horrified. Jack's clothes sat in a pile on the ground, but there was no Jack. He raced over and searched through the clothes. Although Bunny was relieved he smelled no blood, he growled as he caught the familiar odor of both Pitch and Onyx.

The kid had gotten caught. Bunny cursed as he kicked a can against the wall. "If he does anything to Jack," he snarled. "I swear I'll-" his vow of vengeance trailed off as Bunny spied a note poking out of Jack's shirt.

He read it aloud. "If you want the boy alive come to the address below. If you don't come, the boy will be mine to do as I please with, Pitch." Bunny stomped on the letter. How could he have been so careless?! He should have insisted leaving as soon as he and Jack had collected enough money!

Bunny sighed as he sat. He could do the self guilt trip later, right now he had to go and get Jack free from Pitch's clutches. He looked at the address again and saw it was to an abandoned bookstore. He recalled spotting it earlier when they had walked from the bus station.

Bunny then wasted no time as he hopped back to the sidewalk. A plan started to take shape in his head of what he could do to save himself and Jack. Knowing fully what what the consequences of it would be, Bunny prayed it wouldn't come to it, but upon facing Pitch he may not have that choice. The little Pooka gave a grim frown as he hopped down the street, hoping Jack was alright.

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Jack banged the bars of his cage with his hind feet. "Let me out of here!"

Pitch banged on the top of the cage and glared at Jack. "Silence! You're lucky I let you keep your voice!" He gave a sneer. "I can easily take that away as well you know."

Jack stopped banging, but he kept his glare. "You're sick, you know. The King of Creeps!"

The insult only made Pitch laugh. "Oh, you have spirit, Boy. I do admire that," he lifted the cage up to his face. "I should make you my apprentice, I'm overdue to find one."

"Fat chance," Jack spat as his ears dropped over his eyes again. Honestly, how did rabbits deal with this?

"We'll see," Pitch said as he patted his coat pocket. "Amazing what a potion or two can do and there are some I've been craving to experiment with."

Jack tried not to shiver as Onyx finished removing the books off a chair and presented it for Pitch. "Here you are, Master."

"Good," Pitch replied as he took a seat in the chair. "I want to make it clear to Aster who's in control here."

"He won't come," Jack argued. "He knows it's a trap."

"Aster better come," Pitch said as he lifted the lid of the cage and reached in for Jack. "For your sake."

Jack ran to the back of the cage, but it was inevitable as Pitch removed him and held him tightly in his lap. "For you realize, Jack, if Aster doesn't come you'll remain a rabbit forever." He gave a smile and made Jacke wince. "Then, you're all mine."

Jack glared as he attempted to ignore the fear that was building inside him.

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Bunny found the bookstore effortlessly. Judging by the dust coated windows, it had been out of business for years. However, the missing door knob indicated that Pitch and Onyx had broken in to make themselves right at home.

Bunny's back arch as he mentally prepared and then reluctantly pushed the door with his paw. It was dark in the store, but there was a tiny flicker of light from the flame of a candle on the store's counter next to a cash register.

"Aster," Pitch said as Aster spotted a dark figure in the corner that had his back to him. "How lovely of you to join me."

"Where's Jack?!" Bunny demanded as he stomped a foot. "If ya hurt the kid I'll-"

"Bunny! Run!"

Bunny's heart jumped. That was Jack's voice, but where was he? Then Pitch turned in his chair, the light of the candle illuminating his face and gave a cruel grin as he clutched a brown haired rabbit in his hands.

Bunny prayed his instant notion was wrong, yet his fear was confirmed as the rabbit stared at Bunny with eyes full of terror. "Bunny," Jack said as he tried to break free. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Pitch cut him off as he wrapped a hand around Jack's jaw. "Be silent while the adults talk, Boy."

Bunny growled as he bared his teeth. He was tempted to try tackling Pitch, but saw Onyx was standing behind Pitch. Granted, it wasn't as if Bunny could do that much damage in his small size.

"Doesn't he make a splendid rabbit," Pitch said as he tapped his foot. "I think I'll keep him as a pet." To emphasize his point, Pitch ran his fingers through Jack's fur, which made the boy shiver. "He has such lovely fur."

It took all of Bunny's willpower to not storm over, and bite him. "Ya change him back, right now, or I'll-"

"Or what?" PItch laughed, as he rose, and kept a firm hold on Jack. "You're hardly in a position to make demands." His eyes narrowed. "And you know what I want."

Bunny's eyes hardened. "Ta awaken ya magic."

"It's a simple trade," Pitch chided. "You give me what I want and the boy won't have to live the rest of his life as a rabbit."

"And ya'll let him go?" Bunny asked. He had a feeling he knew what the answer would be.

"Not quite," Pitch replied as he stroked Jack. "I'll keep him around, I need some insurance you and the wretched Guardians won't come after me and with the right...persuasion I believe he'll make a good servant to me." He stared down as Jack and chuckled. "Course, that be a better life than living as a rabbit, as I'm sure you know."

Bunny grimaced. Better to live as Pitch's slave than a rabbit? That was debatable.

"So, Aster what shall it be?" Pitch asked with a grin. In the light of the tiny flame it made Bunny feel he was staring into the jaws of a panther waiting to pounce on him from the darkness.

Bunny looked to Jack and he knew the boy was trying to shake his head to tell him "No," but Pitch's hand was making it hard for him to move.

Bunny slumped his shoulders in defeat. He couldn't give what Pitch wanted. Him having magic would be disastrous, but he couldn't abandon Jack. There was a way Bunny could restore Jack to normal on his own that Pitch didn't know, except Bunny didn't want to do it or rush into it so thoughtlessly. It was a life changing decision for Jack, but the logical part of Bunny's mind argued if he didn't do it the boy would have no life.

"I'll do it," Bunny said firmly and held up a paw to keep Pitch from talking as he finished. "But only if I can talk ta Jack first."

"Don't listen, Master," Onyx whispered. "It could be a trick."

Pitch scoffed. "Hardly, Aster and I both know there's nothing he can do in his current state." He lifted Jack from his lap. "I'll be kind and let you have this moment, but be quick. My patience is wearing thin."

He set Jack on the floor and shoved him towards Bunny. Jack stumbled on his paws as he rushed to Bunny.

"I'm sorry," Jack stammered. "Please, don't do this. I-I'll find some way to-"

"It's alright, Jack," Bunny said gently shushing the boy as he stole a glance at Pitch. He had to be careful what he said here. If Pitch caught on before he could finish, it was all over. "Right now, I want ta give ya somethin'." He swallowed and prayed Jack would get the meaning of what he was saying. "Do ya remember that 'thing' ya wanted me ta do, but I said I wouldn't?"

Jack blinked as he stared confused, his long ears drooping over his eyes. If not for the seriousness of the situation, Bunny may have laughed at the sigh. "Thing?" Jack asked.

Bunny tapped his foot uneasily. "The request ya made ta me on the way ta the bus station," he lowered his voice. "That ya been buggin' me ta do since ya found out about it."

Jack still looked baffled, then suddenly his brown ears folded back. "Bunny, you mean-"

"I can only do it with your permission," Bunny said hastily. They had to speed things up, he could tell Pitch was getting suspicious. "Do I have it? And say it, don't nod."

Jack looked hesitant. He then swallowed, straightened his posture and let his ears stand straight up. "Yes, you have my permission."

Bunny sighed, he knew Jack wasn't fully realizing what his was now throwing his life into, but it was the only way out of this mess. "Then I grant it." Bunny lifted his right paw and placed it on Jack's chest over where he could feel Jack's beating heart.

Even his magic was sealed, his ability to awakening magic wasn't. No doubt that was how Pitch had set up the seal. What good was Bunny being small if he couldn't give the creep what he wanted. Speaking of which-

"What are you doing?" Pitch asked, sounding alarmed.

Bunny ignored him as his let his magic enter Jack's heart to find the seed of magic. It was very similar to tending to how one tended to a flower. The seed had the potential to sprout, but it need the right conditions for it to grow.

Bunny's magic encircled the seed and let it soak in the magic like it was much needed water. Then the seed spark and Jack's own magic rapidly started to grow and spread out through his body like the roots of a tree.

Jack gave a startled gasp as he no doubt felt the magic spreading inside him now. Pitch seemed to finally clue in what they were doing and sprang from his chair. "Stop! You-"

Both Pitch and Onyx were blocked by the barrier that naturally came whenever a Pooka awakened magic. Nothing or no one could stop the process once it began. As Bunny expected, some of Jack's new magic channeled back into Bunny and he focused the power to attack the seal.

It wouldn't be enough to fully break it, but it was enough to loosen it's grip. The rest happened in a flash. The magic broke through the first layer of the seal and Bunny felt himself grow.

He grinned as his arms and legs returned to their regular size and he was once again 6 feet tall. Bunny would have given a hoot of joy at the accomplishment, however he was focused on Jack.

Jack was glowing with a bright blue light. Bunny knew Jack's own magic was instantly repaired the damaged caused by Pitch's potion. He watched the boy gasped in pain as the rabbit body vanished and normal human features took their place.

Bunny winced as Jack grew rapidly to human size, fully naked and shaking. He knew personally shaping shifting your body was hardly fun, especially if you weren't use to it. The bright blue faded and Bunny was startled to see Jack's hair had changed from mossy brown to a snowy white. Jack's eyes had changed too. They use to match his brown hair, but now his eyes were as bright and blue as sapphires. Bunny didn't have time to ponder this further as the barrier around them also vanished.

Onyx looked ready to attack. Bunny had to act quickly. He scooped Jack into his arms before the boy collapsed from exhaustion and bolted out of the store.

"After them!" Bunny heard Pitch cry but he didn't stop running and he wouldn't stop until they got back to the shed.

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Jack moaned and felt dizzy. He didn't realize he was being carried until his body shivered from the chill in the air and dug his fingers into the furry chest he was pressed into.

His mind was slowly piecing together what had happened. He remembered Bunny awakening the magic with him. It had felt nice until his body started changing, for the second time that day. Wait, changing?

Jack's eyes flew open as he looked over his human hands. "I'm not a rabbit anymore," he muttered. He awoke from his thoughts as the shed he and Bunny were in earlier came into view. He half expected to collide into it but it was kicked aside by a large grey foot.

"Jack? Ya alright?"

Jack jumped at the voice and raised his head to the one carrying him. The voice was Bunny's, and it looked liked Bunny, but he was no longer the tiny rabbit he'd been carrying the last few days. Now, the Pooka was carrying him like he was a kitten.

"Bunny?" Jack blinked amazed as he took it all in. "Y-you're huge?! How?" He then glanced down and blushed at himself. "And I'm naked! What-"

"Jack, I need ya ta focus," Bunny said as he set Jack down and grabbed his new clothes from earlier. "Get dressed! We got ta leave town this instant!"

Jack still felt daze as he threw his underwear and pants on, but then his memory clicked. Oh yeah, they were being chased by a potion making maniac and a miniature giant. "But how will we get onto a bus?"

"We're not, we'll look for a train, a truck anything we can hitch a ride on. If we can't find one I'll carry ya if I have ta," Bunny said as he stuffed everything he could into the duffle bag. "But we're getting out of here!"

Jack had barely enough time to slip his head through his shirt before Bunny tossed him onto his back and flew out the door like a bullet. Jack gripped his fingers into Bunny's neck as he tried to stay on while Bunny ran.

"_I went from being turned into a rabbit to now riding one_," Jack thought as they ran. "_How did my life get so weird?_"

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It hadn't taken long for them to reach the train and to their luck a freight train was getting ready to move out. Most of the boxcars were filled with crates except for the last one that seemed to be mostly empty and had enough room for both Jack and Bunny.

They had managed to break in and shut the door before the conductor came to inspect the boxcars. It wasn't long after the train gave the whistle and started to move. It was only when they felt the boxcar being tugged along that Jack could breathe properly again.

"We should be safe for awhile," Bunny said as Jack reached inside the bag for a flash light. "But we'll have to get out before they come to unload his car."

Jack was barely listening as he also took one of the mirrors he used for his tricks and shone a flashlight to see his reflection. He didn't focus on it during the run, but Jack noticed bits of white came appearing his his eyes. He now fully understood why that was.

"My hair turned white," he said softly as he fingered it. "And my eyes turned blue too. Was it because you woke up my magic?"

Bunny looked up from his corner and sighed. "Yeah, that doesn't surprise me. It's common for magic ta have odd side effects like that."

Jack fingered the hair and was relieved it still felt the same. "So, does this mean I can do magic now?"

"Yes and no," Bunny replied as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I did awake it, but it takes awhile for ya body ta adjust ta it." He leaned against his back against the wall. "So, ya still won't be able ta do anythin. for a bit, but trust me, we'll know when ya magic is ready for ya to use."

Jack gave a quiet nod as he tucked the mirror away. "Besides the hair and eyes are there any other side effects I should know about?"

"In appearance?" Bunny asked and shook his head. "Like I said, different for each person.I say the hair and eyes should be it for ya appearance wise." He seemed hesitant and his ears went back. "However, ya are goin' ta live a lot longer, Kiddo."

Jack paused and stared back. "What do you mean?"

"Magic users live far longer than a normal human," Bunny continued. "My friend North and Tooth are both over 400 years old and I honestly don't know how old Sandy is."

Jack's eyes widened as he looked down at himself. He was going to live for centuries? But that was such a long time. Would he be able to handle it? "How old are you, Bunny?"

"Me?" Bunny asked and scoffed. "Lost count a long time ago. We Pooka don't tend ta keep track after the first 500."

"500?" Jack gasped as he looked Bunny over. "Should I be calling you 'Gramps' then?"

"Oi, ya start that and I'm callin' ya toddler ta be fair!"

Jack gave a small chuckle, but then he frowned as he looked to Bunny. "Why didn't you tell me magic makes you live longer?"

"Didn't come up," Bunny said, his voice sounding regretful. "And I wasn't plannin' on awakin' the magic in ya. So, didn't think I needed ta at the time."

"But you did," Jack replied. "Why?" He didn't blame Bunny, Jack was the one that pestered him to see if he really did have magic. Still, he didn't get what made the Pooka change his mind.

"It was the only way ta get ya out of Pitch's clutches and restore ya ta human form without awakin' his magic," Bunny explained as his ears twitched.

That made sense. Jack hadn't wanted Bunny to give in to Pitch. He was the last person that should be given access to his hands on magic. From what Bunny was saying, he had only granted Jack his magic and rushed him into it because they truly had no other options.

"I knew the boost of new magic would restore you ta human form," Bunny continued. "I managed ta tap into it ta tackle my seal."

"So, you have your powers back?" Jack asked, hopefully.

Bunny shook his head. "It only got through the first layer, which let me get my body back, but it'll take a while for it to break through the other layers." He sighed as he shut his eyes. "If I have ta I may be able to force it. Promise is, it's like punchin' a fist through a wall."

Jack gave a nod as he let it sink in. "Got to say, I kind of miss the cute cuddly bunny I could pull into my lap."

"Ha ha," Bunny replied with a half smirk. "That makes one of us." He then dropped his grinned and looked to Jack seriously. "Jack, I got ta ask ya, did Pitch hurt ya?"

"Besides turning me into a rabbit?" Jack asked as he shook his head. "No, he didn't." He stared at his hands and recalled the memory of being horrified and watching them turn into paws. The whole ordeal was one he did NOT want a repeat of and the way Pitch kept grinning at him during the whole thing...

Jack shivered as he wrapped his arms around himself. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been that terrified.

"It's okay ta be scared, Jack," Bunny said, gently.

Jack jumped and dropped his arms. "What?"

"Ya not the first victim of Pitch," Bunny explained. "I've known adults that had nightmares for years because of his experiments."

Jack eyes hardened as he leaned against the wall and pretended to be fascinated by his bare feet. "I'm not scared, I'm fine."

Bunny looked unconvinced, but dropped the subject. They sat in silence for a moment until Jack raised his head. "Does he do that a lot?" he asked. "Making people drink potions and changing them into animals?"

Bunny's eyes hardened. "Pitch has often kidnapped people to do experiments on and I'll say this of him." He swallowed as he turned his gaze to Jack. "Turning someone into a rabbit is kind for him."

Jack shivered again, trying to stop his body from shaking. "Why does he do it?"

"Well," Bunny said as he stroked his chin. "Originally, he was researchin' ways ta make his sick daughter stronger."

Jack froze. "He has a kid?" It was terrifying enough to know Pitch was out there, but he had a kid too? Was she just as twisted as he was?

"Yeah, a magic user, but she doesn't do anything with Pitch now," Bunny replied. "Eventually, he did find potions to make her well again, but then he started to research ways to extend one's life." He shut his eyes in thought like he was recalling an old memory. "Became obsessed and experimented both on himself and his daughter, he eventually created an elixir that if drank once a day he can live as long as he likes."

"So he can live longer without magic?" Jack asked to clarify.

"Yeah, but that's part of the reason why he wants magic so badly. If he had it, he wouldn't need ta take it." Bunny folded his arms. "Over time, I suppose in tryin' ta improve his own body he wanted to obtain more power and magic was the best way ta accomplish that. I reckon drinkin' that many potions over the years can really change ya perception on life. " He shrugged. "Ya probably don't even feel human anymore."

Jack leaned against his knees. Pitch had seemed to be the kind of man that enjoyed control as much of life as he could, including the lives of others. "What about his daughter?"

"Wasn't by me, but she did get her magic awaken and she left Pitch centuries ago." He rotated his shoulders. "Manny talks ta her every once in awhile, that's all I know though."

Jack nodded as he buried his face into his knees. He was exhausted, yet he couldn't sleep. Images of Pitch forcing that potion down his throat kept haunting his mind. Jack was certain the whole scene would play out again like an endless loop if he went to sleep. He especially didn't want to remember Pitch holding him in his lap like he was his new pet. The creep probably would have gotten him a collar if Bunny hadn't come then.

Jack felt his body shake again, but he tried to ignore it. It was all he could do. He refused to acknowledge the brewing fear inside him.

"Jack."

He raised his head to see Bunny wave an arm at him. "C'mere," Bunny said softly and gestured to himself.

Jack pretended he wasn't shaking and tilted his head at him. "What for?"

"Just c'mere," Bunny repeated firmly.

Jack stared suspiciously, but he rose and did as he was told. Once he was within Bunny's reach the Pooka swooped in, latched an arm around Jack's waist and pulled him to his side.

"There," Bunny said, as he wrapped his arm around Jack's shoulders. "We'll sleep like this."

"What?! Why?!" Jack squeaked as he tried to break free. To his annoyance Bunny kept him in place.

"Ya shivering," Bunny answered.

Jack froze and blushed. So, he did notice?! Great, last thing Jack need was to be treated like he was a little kid. "I told you I'm not scared-"

"It's cold tonight and this boxcar has no heat " Bunny continued as he patted Jack's shoulder. "I'm the only one with a fur coat, therefore I believe body heat is in order."

"Oh," Jack said softly as he relaxed in Bunny's hold. "I guess you're right." He still felt silly snuggling into Bunny, however it was cold. No point to risk freezing to death.

Bunny nodded as he leaned back. "Right, time for some shut eye. Night, Kiddo."

Jack nodded, but seriously doubted he could sleep. His mind was still reeling as he sat and stared at his bare toes. Knowing Bunny, he'll be insisting on getting Jack new shoes since he lost his old pair when Pitch turned him into a rabbit.

Jack shivered again, but his thoughts were cut off by an odd noise coming from Bunny. At first, Jack thought the Pooka was snoring since his eyes shut, except it didn't sound like a typical snore. It sounded more like a strange mix between a purr and a growl.

_I don't remember him making that sound the last couple of nights, _Jack thought as he listened quietly. The noise didn't bother him and it was hardly loud enough to wake a baby. For some strange reason Jack found it was soothing, almost like a lullaby.

As the noise turned into a kind hum in his ears, Jack found himself resting his head and nestling into Bunny's fur like he was a teddy bear. Bunny was right, Jack was warmer like this and it was comforting. It reminded the times he had nightmares as a kid as he used to crawl into his parents bed for them to chase the monsters away.

It didn't take long for Bunny's odd purr to lure Jack's eyes to shut and he was carried off into slumber. As he slept, Jack felt safe and no nightmares came for him.

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Once Bunny heard Jack snore he cracked a peek with one eye and smiled as he confirmed the kid was asleep. It was an old Pooka trick that had been used to get kits to fall asleep, but he wasn't sure it would work on kid Jack's age.

Bunny never thought he get to use it since he figured his chances of being a parent disappeared long ago. He stared at Jack's peaceful sleeping face and clutched Jack protectively as he shut his eyes to go to sleep for real. Bunny was NEVER going to let Pitch near this kid again, not as long as he could help it.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The autumn wind had become cold enough for Manny to tighten the scarf around his neck as he continued his hike in the deep woods. The leaves crunched underneath his feet as he ducked under branches. He was quite glad winter hadn't come yet or else he would have snow coming up to his ankles in trying to find the cottage.

Granted, this was a cottage that normal non-magic users shouldn't be able to find and therefore it shouldn't be easy. He hummed to himself as he continued to walk until his toe bumped into an invisible wall.

Not the least bit puzzled, Manny tapped the unseen wall with his fingers to confirm it was there before tucking his hands into his pocket.

"Seraphina," he called out. "It's me!"

It took a moment, but a bright shimmer rippled down the wall revealing a large cottage when before there had been nothing except trees. A woman with flowing black hair tied into a long braid had her back to Manny as she picked apples from her trees and dropped them into her basket.

"What," she asked briskly without turning, "do you want?"

"My dear, Seraphina," Manny said as he removed his hat and offered a cheery smile. "Can't an old friend come for a visit?"

Seraphina sharply turned her head and kept her glare. "With you personally knowing how much I crave company? No."

Manny kept his smile as he walked to her. "I am sorry for troubling you, but I need to speak with you."

Seraphina sighed as she picked up her basket. "I don't have time for this, Manny. Winter will be here soon and I-"

"Please, Emily Jane," Manny asked, sincerely. "It's very important."

Seraphina paused, as Manny knew being called by her birth name would cause her to. Very few people called her by it now. When her magic had awoken, she chose then to go by her new name "Seraphina, The Witch of Storms," and bury her old name to be forgotten forever to break ties with her past. Manny was one of the few who understood why she choose her new name.

Manny patiently toyed with his hat as he let Seraphina debate and then heard a defeated sigh. "I'll give you ten minutes. I needed something hot to drink anyway."

"Ah, yes," Manny nodded. "Be a good time for tea."

Seraphina turned and gave the same wicked grin that was identical to Pitch's. "Who said anything about tea?," she lifted her basket. "I'm a witch, Manny. I only deal in apples, especially poison ones."

Others would have stepped back startled at such a comment, but Manny gave a laugh. "I would prefer my apple cider poison free then."

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Inside the cottage, nestled next to the fireplace, Seraphina took another sip of her cider before casting a wind spell on her mug. The mug cider then hovered and sat in the air as if it had been placed on the table as she folded her hands into her lap. "Now, what do you want, Manny?"

Manny tapped the handle of his mug as he spoke. "North has contacted me recently and it seems our dear Aster has gone missing."

Seraphina raised an eyebrow. "And this concerns me how?"

"We believe your father is behind it," Manny said and watched Seraphina stiffened at the revelation. She showed no expression on her face as she plucked her hovering mug out of the air to sip it again.

"Father has been after him for awhile but I don't know what you expect me to do about it," Seraphina replied.

"I thought perhaps you would know where he is," Manny asked as he leaned forward.

"You know fully well I haven't spoken to my father in centuries," Seraphina replied not hiding the bitterness in her voice. "Not since we've had our 'disagreements'."

Manny gave a nod. Seraphina had never gone into full detail on what on exactly she and her father had argued about. All he knew was that Seraphina had grown tired of trying to be an alchemist like her father and wished to find her own path in life.

That path lead to Seraphina discovering she had her own magic inside her, course as a result that lead to Pitch discovering he had the potential for his own magic as well. Seraphina had refused to help her father's quest for power, but she also refused to join forces with the Guardians stop him as well. As far as she was concerned, Seraphina was neutral in their fights.

"But you still keep tabs on him, don't you?" Manny said.

"Only to ensure I can sweep away Onyx when the time is right," Seraphina replied. "But even then, it's hardly constant. I don't want to risk father noticing I've been tracking him."

"Would you please tell me," Manny replied with a smile. "I know your feelings, but all I ask if you know where Pitch is."

Seraphina gave a sigh as she had her mug hover in the air again. "Fine, but that is all I'll do." She rose and moved to the water filled cauldron that had been boiling at the fireplace. Seraphina raised her hands and the bubbling water suddenly became calm.

Manny crept over to steal a peek as Seraphina's gaze was lost staring into the water. He knew this spell. It would cause the caster visions that only they could see appear in the water. It was a hard spell, but it was a trifle thing to the Witch of Storms.

After a moment, the water started to resume boiling. Seraphina lowered her arms while blinking her eyes as if she was trying to get sand out of them. "Curious," she said as she whirled and folded her arms. "Father is on the move."

"Is he?" Manny asked intrigued. "And did you see, Aster?"

"No," Seraphina replied, "but I saw father's face. He looked furious and he seems to be heading North West."

Manny frowned as he grasped his chin in thought. Was it possible Aster escaped?

"If he keeps going in this direction," Seraphina said as she traced her delicate fingers over one of her apples. "He may end up at your Guardians precious mansion."

"I see," Manny said with a sigh. It wasn't much for them to go on, especially with whatever method Pitch was using to block their attempts to track Aster. However, at least they could assume Aster was trying to head back home.

"I shall let North and the others know," Manny said as he set mug of cider on the table and put his hat back on. "Thank you, Seraphina."

He started to leave, except Seraphina caught his shoulder. "By the way, Manny," she asked as she knelt and drew close to his ears. "Did you sense it last night?"

Manny paused and realize he knew what she meant. "That spark of magic being awakened?" he said and nodded. "Yes, I did." For magic users that were as old and powerful as Manny, he could sense when somewhere in the world someone was obtaining their magic.

It use to be much more frequent. Now, it was so rare to feel the familiar tingle crawl over his skin in this modern world. He glanced to Seraphina curiously. "But did you sense it too?"

"Yes," she admitted, quietly. "It felt quite young as well."

Manny nodded in agreement and became extremely curious. Seraphina wasn't on the same level as Manny, but she could sense when a magic related to nature was awakened, although that hadn't happened for centuries.

"Well, isn't that interesting," Manny said with a grin. "Once we locate Aster, I should have him look into it." The Pooka's own magic was connected to the earth itself, it would be a prime case for him to investigate As Manny left the cottage though, he couldn't resist reaching to the conclusion the timing of the awakened magic and Aster's disappearance were hardly coincidental. There had to be a connection between the two incidents.

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Jack was warm and buried his face into his furry pillow. Much to his annoyance, a hand shook his shoulder. "Jack? Come on, Kiddo. Time ta wake up."

Jack gave a grunt as he shook off the hand and forced his eyes to remain shut. "Ten more minutes, Dad."

There was a pause and Jack thought he won, until he heard a cough. "Um...be glad ta, but my legs are gettin' stiff here bein' yer pillow."

Jack blinked puzzled. Groggily he raised his head became fully awake as fur filled his vision. Right, he wasn't home. He was sleeping on a train he snuck on with a giant rabbit...who he just called 'Dad." Jack blushed madly as he bolted off of Aster and inched away like Bunny had the plague.

Had he been seriously clinging to Bunny like a teddy bear? Geez, and why on earth did he call him Dad?! Sure, his dad use to wake him up in the morning like that, but still-

Jack couldn't tell if Bunny had been amused or annoyed by the situation as he stood and rotated his shoulders. "Right," he said "the train stopped so we need ta get out before they check on the boxcars."

Jack nodded as he focused on collecting his bag and swung it over his shoulder. Bunny then frowned as he stared at Jack's bare feet. "First priority, gettin' ya shoes," he stated.

"I'd be fine without them," Jack argued. "Shouldn't we concentrate more on getting you clothes to hide in?" He arched an eyebrow. "I can't exactly hide you in my duffle bag anymore."

Bunny's eyes narrowed as he folded his arms in thought. "I wonder," he muttered. He then raised a hand and curled his fingers it like he was attempting to open a door. Suddenly, sparks flew. Bunny jerked his hand back as Jack jumped and yelped in fright.

"Crikey!" Bunny hissed as he examined his hand like he was checking for burns. "That was a bad idea!"

"What were you trying to do?" Jack asked once he saw it was safe to move in closer.

Bunny sighed. "I was tryin' ta see if I could access my astral pocket yet, but looks like that seal is keepin' me out of it."

"Astral pocket?" Jack asked as he tucked his hands into his pants pockets.

"Ta put it simply, it's a mini alternative dimension magic users can store stuff into for emergencies." He pointed to Jack's duffle bag. "Think of it like an invisible duffle bag, except it's the size of a large room. I often keep extra clothes and cash in there for situations like this."

"But you can't access it due to that seal," Jack concluded.

"For now at least," Bunny said as he slowly slid open the door to peek out. "Right, coast is clear. Let's go."

Before Jack could say anything, Bunny tossed Jack onto his back and they dashed out of the boxcar.

"A little warning would be nice!" Jack exclaimed as he clung to Bunny and they swiftly moved out of the train yard.

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"Do they fit?" Bunny asked as he slipped on the coat and watched Jack wiggled his into his new shoes.

"They'll do," Jack said as he finished tying the laces. "What about you? I got the biggest coat I could find in that store." Bunny was forced to stay hidden in an alleyway, while Jack found the nearest clothing store and bought the cheapest pair of sneakers and clothes he could find.

Jack tried to be oblivious to the odd looks he received as he entered the store in his bare feet and bought clothes that were clearly twice his size. He had then ducked back into the alley for Bunny to change.

Jack had to admit, Bunny did look funny in the long trench coat and hat he got to match. If he wasn't an oversize rabbit, Jack might have believed he was a detective.

"Bit tight, but I ain't complain'," Bunny replied as he folded his ears to fit inside his his hat. "I swear I can't wait for the seal to ta be gone. Be a lot easier ta get around with my magic restored."

Jack nodded as he glanced down at Bunny's large furry feet. Finding shoes that would fit Bunny were the only things he couldn't find. They would just have to hope not many people bothered looking down. "You said you keep cash in that astral pocket of yours?"

"Yeah, as well as my documents and passport," Bunny replied as he adjusted his head.

Jack blinked. "You have a passport?"

Bunny shrugged. "I normally stick ta usin' my tunnels, but ya never know if a rogue magic user attracts the authorities or if we need ta stop by the hospital. North's idea, figures better if we're prepared, but I haven't had ta use them yet."

Jack still stared confused at him. "But why do you use a passport?" He pointed to Bunny's face. "Be kind of hard to hide that fur under a mask. I doubt it make a good photo."

"Mask?" Bunny scoffed. "I've never worn a mask in my life. If I have ta mingle with humans I shapeshift."

"Shapeshift?" Jack asked as he swung the bag over his shoulder. "What's that?"

Bunny seemed to not hear him as he looked across the street. "Let's snag a bit ta eat and make plans for the day." He stuffed his large hands into his pockets. "I'm dying for a cup of tea."

Jack rolled his eyes as he chased after him. Glad to hear Bunny had his priorities.

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Jack had been the one to go in and buy their food. He was glad there was a special going on and order a stacks of pancakes and a tea to go. He and Bunny then found a spot by a fountain to eat. Jack was almost tempted they go inside to eat, but there was too high of a risk of someone getting a close look at Bunny.

Granted, in the end, it didn't matter much since Jack found himself barely able to eat one pancake. Normally, he'd be starving, but this morning he could only poke at his breakfast.

"Ya alright, there?" Bunny asked as he picked up his tea and pointed to Jack's fork that was currently stabbing the pancake.

Jack shrugged. "Just not hungry I guess," he replied and he bit his lip. "But I was wondering, that astral pocket thing you mentioned, do I have one too?"

Bunny continued to frown at Jack's fork, but he nodded. "Takes a bit a prep work, but once ya have some trainin' ya'll have one." He gave a scoff. "Course, that we'll be after we see the type of magic you'll get."

"My type?" Jack asked as he swallowed a mouthful of orange juice.

"There are general spells every magic user uses, but the more powerful spells depend on what kind of magic ya have. It's different for everyone" Bunny continued. "My friend Sandy, his magic specializes in seeing people's dreams and the future."

"Has he predicted any lottery numbers?" Jack asked with a grin.

"Doesn't quite work like that," Aster said with a sly grin. "But, he would if he could. Tooth's a bit similar, her magic is more telepathic and lets her read minds and memories. Then there's North, his is the most reliable and unpredictable."

"How can you be reliable and unpredictable at the same time?" Jack asked as he tried to force himself to eat another forkful of his pancake.

"His is a bit unique," Bunny said as he folded his arms. "As long as he had the proper materials he can imagine and create just about anythin'. Once saw him make a robot that changes into an airship."

Jack laughed. "So, he made a transformer?"

Bunny raised an eyebrow. "A what?"

Jack shook his head, still grinning at his own joke. "Never mind, what's yours?"

"Mine?" Bunny said as he pointed to himself. "I'm an elemental, which is one of the rarer magics ya can get."

"Elemental?" Jack asked as he frowned. "You mean like wind and fire or something?"

"Right," Aster nodded as he dunked his empty tray and cup into the trash bin near him. "My magic is connected ta the earth. At my full strength I can create tunnels, make plants growth and stuff like that."

Jack nodded as he stared at his bare hands. "Could you tell at all what mine is?"

Bunny shook his head. "I might be able ta get a clue at my full power, but not as long as this seal is stuck on me. Will say this though," he raised his head at Jack, "the magic is often a reflection of yerself."

Jack mused on the thought as he tugged at his white hair. He couldn't help, but wonder if that was a clue to it somehow. "I hate to imagine what Pitch's would be."

"Now that's a case I know for sure," Aster said, bitterly. "Sandy had a premonition once and he knows Pitch's powers would be shadows."

"Shadows?" Jack asked. Was that what they had been so concerned about?

"Don't scoff, shadows are connected ta darkness itself," he raised an eyebrow. "And can ya imagine what Pitch be like if he could make all the lights go out and had shadows at his beckon call?"

Jack shivered. "Point," he replied as he closed the lid on his food. "Let's get the money to get going then."

Aster grabbed his wrist. "Ya can't be done. I've seen baby birds eat more than that."

"I told you, I'm not hungry," Jack said as he freed his wrist and dumped the food in the can. He hated to waste food, but there was no way to save it for later "I'll probably eat more later."

However, Bunny looked unconvinced as he suddenly pressed his hand against Jack's forehead. "Ya don't feel like ya have a fever," he muttered.

Jack rolled his eyes as he swatted Bunny's hand away. "You are such a worrywart, come on. Let's go."

Bunny looked unconvinced but he only gave a sigh as he trailed after Jack.

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Far away, in the back of his parked car, Pitch scowled as he looked over the map and marked a few of the roads going out of town with a large "X". They had searched every inch of the city all night and still there had been no sign of the Pooka or the boy. Pitch had to assume they both made their escape.

"If they had fled by foot," he said aloud, "they couldn't have taken the main roads, not unless Aster wanted to risk being seen by drivers." It was possible they had snuck onto a trunk, but Pitch and Onyx had checked any trucks that passed by or left through the town. There had only been six and four of them had been freezer trucks which would have been too cold for Aster and Jack to travel in.

The other two trucks had left around the time Aster had come to Pitch in the book shop so they had to be eliminated from the list as well.

"Couldn't they have taken the bus, Master?" Onyx as from the driver's seat.

"Aster may have regained his form," Pitch stated as he folded his hands, "but that seal should still be in placed, and thus preventing him to shape shift. He wouldn't be able to board any public transportation without drawing attention to himself."

"Then the woods?" Onyx asked.

"There aren't any woods, this area is all farms and fields." Pitch stabbed his pen in the far corner of the city on the map. "Which leaves the train yard."

"But," Onyx said as he scratched his head, "I thought you said they couldn't board public transportation."

Pitch rolled his eyes. "Yes, but they could very well could have snuck aboard a train carrying cargo." He pointed to Onyx. "To the train yard and we shall find which trains they could have snuck aboard."

Onyx gave a nod as he started the engine. Pitch folded the map as he reached into his coat for his elixir. he would have preferred drinking it in his morning coffee, but time was of the essence. Pitch removed the cork to swallow a mouthful and wiped his mouth with his handkerchief. He did have one advantage. Pitch knew the direction the Pooka was heading in, straight to the home of his precious Guardian.

If Pitch was fast enough, he had a good chance of catching up to Aster before he made it home and then the Pooka and the boy would be in his hands.

_Author's Note: I've been getting a few questions about shipping in this fic, so just to make this clear, this fic will be general. In other words, there aren't any ships or romantic couples in this fic. It's just focussing on family/friendships. However, due to one person asking, in my mind for this fic Bunny is asexual. Hopes that clears things up._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Bunny had found a street corner to set up for Jack's tricks, and was forced to sit on the sidelines while Jack performed since the Pooka didn't want to risk someone getting a close look at him.

It was slow at first, hardly anyone gave the kid a second glance. Yet, as Jack made it seem his hand went through the top of his top hat while leaving no hole more people came to watch him. The boy grinned as his coins disappeared in his hands and was almost laughing from pure joy as the children picked a card from his deck only to reveal it had be hiding behind their ear the whole time.

Jack did catch Bunny flinching as he smashed a stopwatch underneath a handkerchief only to reveal it was completely unharmed after he removed the cloth. It was proving to be a profitable day. Although, as the day went on, Jack did find it slightly harder and harder to concentrate on his tricks.

His stomach felt off and he still didn't feel hungry when he and Bunny took a break for lunch. Then in the late afternoon, there was a slight pain near his abdomen. Jack did the best he could to hide his discomfort and press on with his tricks.

The Pooka wasn't fooled by the charade. Bunny was watching him like a hawk and somehow Jack knew he saw through the ruse. In the early evening, Jack had decided it was enough for the day and collected his belongings after the last audience left.

"Ready to head out Cottenbutt?" he asked with a grin.

Bunny gave no response as he studied Jack's face. "Ya awfully pale there, Kiddo." He cupped Jack's chin and forced the boy to look up. "Ya sure ya feelin' alright?"

Jack debated on telling Bunny, except he knew he would over react. Sure, he wasn't feeling great, but it certainly wasn't worth being fussed over. He probably just need to sleep it off. Besides, they didn't have time for Jack to play sick. "I'm fine," Jack replied as he pushed Bunny's hand away. "I'm just tired from running around."

Bunny looked unconvinced as his ears twitched beneath his hat. "We have been runnin' all over the place haven't we?"

"Yeah," Jack replied, relieved Bunny understood and pointed ahead. "So, let's see what ride we can afford-"

"Let's spend the night in a motel."

Jack paused in mid-step and he turned back to Bunny. "What?"

"Heard some locals mention there's a motel we can spend the night at a block over," Bunny said as he pointed ahead. "Should be cheap and we've earned a night ta sleep in a proper bed."

"But we don't have the time?" Jack replied as he folded his arms. "What about Pitch?"

"He has no clue how we got out of town and even if he did, we rode all night in a train. We're far ahead of him. We should be fine as long as we leave tomorrow ta stay ahead," Bunny said as he tucked his hands into his pockets. "Besides, we need at least one proper night sleep if we want ta keep our wits about us," he said as he jabbed Jack's chest with a finger. "Not ta mention, yer overdue for a decent shower."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Are you that concerned about my hygiene?"

"Considerin' I'm stuck travelin' with ya, yes," Bunny said as he walked away. "So, let's see about gettin' a room"

Jack rolled his eyes as he sighed and went after the Pooka. There was no point arguing with him. It was clear Bunny made up his mind. Why did he have to be so stubborn? Jack shook his head and tried to ignore how the pain inside him seemed to have increased.

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North leaned back into his chair as he tapped the earpiece of the phone. "And Seraphina can not be more accurate?"

"North, believe me," Manny said over the phone. "You're lucky I was able to get that much information out of her. You know she prefers to stay out when we 'bump heads' with Pitch."

North sighed as he tapped his foot. Frankly, he call rescuing and protecting innocent people from Pitch's experiments more than just 'bumping heads'. There were times he had been tempted to say it was an all out war with him.

"The point is," Manny continued, "we at least know Aster is on the run."

"With seal placed on him," North mused as he made notes on the desk to tell Tooth and Sandy. If Bunny had access to his full magic he should have been able to create a tunnel and be home by now. North sighed sadly, until they had another clue there was not much they could do. "We will stay on alert, I'll have Phil place more defences around house."

Last thing they needed was a surprise attack from Pitch or any other dangerous magic user that decided it was a prime opportunity for an attack.

"North, there's something else," Manny said slowly. "I sensed a new magic being born last night."

North paused in his writing as he set down his ink pen and leaned forward in his chair. "You certain?"

"Very," Manny replied. "And so did Seraphina."

"An elemental?" North replied astounded. It had been centuries since a new elemental magic had been born.

Although, Manny hadn't sense any new magic since Katherine had gotten hers as a young child. Thankfully, Ombric had been close by and was glad to take the girl under his wings for an apprentice. They had been lucky to locate Katherine so quickly. Magic was difficult to grasp on your own and elemental magic was harder to learn how to control. An untrained magic user could cause a lot of damage if they weren't careful.

"We may have to wait until Bunny is back," North said as he rubbed his eyes.

If a new magic user had been born it would take time to track him or her down which would be hard to do without Bunny. Worrying about a new magic user was the last thing they needed now.

"Actually," Manny replied in a bit more cheerful tone. "I'm betting Aster has some connection to this." He gave a laugh. "The timing of Aster's disappearance and this new magic can't be a coincidence."

North ran his fingers through his beard. "Sandy did get prediction a child was traveling with Bunny," he muttered. "Perhaps that is new magic user."

"Could be," Manny replied softly as a bell was heard in the background. "My train has arrived, I'll keep you posted if I learn anything else."

North gave his thanks as he hung up the phone and then rose to inform the others. Another elemental user like Bunny? He gave a slight chuckle. The Pooka had complained to North for years how none of the Guardians understood the stress of his earth magic. Perhaps this new magic user could finally-

North then froze as he gripped the door knob. What had Sandy predicted the other day? He saw Bunny and an image of snow? Could that be what the new magic was being wielded by this child? He eyes widened as the realization dawned on him and he bolted out the door and nearly knocked over the table in the hallway. The others had to know about this now!

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It had been slightly tricky to book a room at the motel. Niether Bunny nor Jack had any credit cards to put the bill on and the clerk raised an eyebrow when they had paid strictly in cash as Bunny kept his face concealed.

However, with a stiffened eyebrow, he let them check in and gave them a key to the room. "I just don't want any trouble," he clerk replied with a glare as Jack and Bunny left the lobby to their room.

The room wasn't anything to write home about, but Bunny sniffed about and could tell it was clean. Although, the room could be a disaster zone and Jack didn't care. He flopped himself on the one of the single beds and laughed.

"Okay, I'll admit," Jack said as he turned onto his back. "Feels good to have an actual bed again."

Bunny gave a half smile as he removed his coat and hat. "Glad one of us gets ta have a proper bed."

Jack raised his head baffled. "What do you mean one of us?" There were clearly two bed in the room? Granted, they were both small beds and probably not big enough for Bunny, but wouldn't it do for one night?

"I don't normally sleep in a bed like that," Bunny said as he gestured to the bed. "I sleep in a nest."

"A nest?" Jack asked with a frown.

"Made out of twigs, grass and moss," he poked Jack's shoulder. "And don't scoff, it's plenty comfortable."

Jack chuckled as he sat up cross legged on the bed. "And the other Guardians don't mind you having a nest in their house?"

"No," Bunny said as he sat on the edge of his bed. "I live in my warren deep underneath the house, it makes easier to make tunnels to where I need to go."

Jack gave a slow nod. Bunny had mentioned he usually travelled by tunnels and rabbits did live underground, it did make a strange kind of sense.

"In any case," Bunny said as he poked Jack's leg with his own foot, "go have a shower, yer in desperate need of one."

"Yeah, yeah," Jack replied as he got up and went into the bathroom. The tub was small, yet all Jack cared about if the water was warm, which it was. The motel had only provided a sample size bottle of shampoo and soap, however, it was enough for Jack to get a full wash.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd been able to thoroughly wash his body to the point he had truly felt clean. Although, the pain he felt before still lingered and it was starting to get annoying. He thought perhaps it was hunger pains from earlier, but that couldn't be it. Currently, the thought of food made his stomach cringe.

Once he was done in the shower, Jack got a towel to dry himself. He then slipped back on a pair of pants and shirt, but didn't bother putting on his socks. He ventured back into the room and saw Bunny was making marks on the map.

His nose sniffed the air. "Ya smell clean, that's an improvement."

Jack stuck out his tongue as he took a seat next to Bunny. "How far do we have to go?"

Bunny sighed as he pointed to the town they were at. "We still got caught a ways ta go. Taking the bus would be more direct, but bit tricky ta sneak on in the state I'm in."

Jack chewed his bottom lip in thought, but suddenly felt a sharp jab from his abdomen and gave a hiss of pain. He quickly tried to cover his mouth, except found it was too late as Bunny looked up.

"Ya alright, Kiddo?" Bunny asked, concerned.

Jack gave a forced laugh and ignore the somersaults his stomach was now performing. "Just some gas, it's nothing."

Bunny narrowed his eyes. "Ya still awfully pale," he placed his hand on his forehead, "and ya runnin' a fever."

"It's nothin', I feel fine," Jack grumbled.

"I rather play it safe," Bunny said as he rose and slipped on his coat and hat. "Remember seein' a pharmacy across the street. I'll get something ta treat that fever."

Jack folded his arms over his chest. "Wouldn't it make more sense for me to go?"

"No, cause yer sick," Bunny replied.

"I'm not sick-"

"No butts," Bunny said firmly as he thumped his foot. "Ya stay here and try ta drink some water. I'll be back in a tic."

Jack's shoulder slumped as he watched Bunny leave and stretched out on the bed. "Honestly," he muttered as he rubbed his uneasy stomach. "He's such a worry-"

Suddenly, Jack felt he was going to be sick. He barely had enough time to reach for a trash bin to dump in what little food Jack had in his stomach. As he finished, wiping the bile from his mouth, the pain intensified.

Jack whimpered as he curled up into a ball on the floor. It hurt! Why did it hurt so bad? Did it have something to do with his magic?! Jack panted as he shut his eyes and tried to block out the pain. His body hurt too much to get up. The pain was almost as bad as it had been when Pitch had turned him into a rabbit.

However, his body remained unchanged and Jack could only remain still. He wasn't sure how long he had been moaning on the floor when the door opened. Jack heard a bag crashed to the floor as Bunny raced over.

"Jack!" Bunny exclaimed as gripped his shoulder. "What's wrong? What happened?!"

Jack swallowed and tried to look up. "It hurts like crazy," he whispered.

Bunny stared confused as he looked Jack over. "What does?"

"H-here," Jack whispered as he pointed to around his waist. "I-it hurts like hell."

Bunny's eyes narrowed as he gently pressed to where Jack pointed. "Ya mean here?"

Jack hissed in pain. "Yeah! What is this? Side effect of magic-"

"Naw, Mate," Bunny said as he shook his head. "I'm bettin' it's ya appendix."

Jack paled. "W-what? You mean appendicitis?" Was it seriously something that normal?!

"Yeah, and the drugs I got anit gonna cut it," Bunny said as he rose. "Wait a sec Kiddo, I'm going to try somethin' first."

Jack could only whimper as the pain inside grew. He waited to lift his head to see what Bunny was up to, but Jack found he could barely move.

He heard Bunny give a deep sigh. "This is gonna sting."

"Bunny?" Jack asked.

Suddenly, Jack heard Bunny grunt and curse. "Ah! Geez! Come on!" Jack lay still as he heard a sharp snap echoed. Bunny let out a cry and then a series of curse words as it sounded like he collapsed to the floor.

"B-Bunny, you okay?" Jack asked but he couldn't see him over the bed.

"That was not fun!" Bunny grunted as Jack heard the rustling of clothes. Just what on earth was Bunny doing? "Just a sec, Mate," Bunny replied. "Gettin' decent."

Jack moaned and curled into himself. It hurt! It hurt! He wished the pain would go away. Jack was lost in his own little world until he felt Bunny's hand on his shoulder. "Mate, listen," Bunny said gently. "I need ta take ya ta a hospital."

"N-no," Jack whimpered as he kept his eyes shut. Hospital wouldn't be good, that was the last place Bunny needed to be in. "They'll see you're-"

"But I'm gonna put a sleep spell on ya ta keep ya comfortable until we get there," Bunny said as he placed a hand on Jack's forehead. "It's a trick I learned from my friend, Sandy."

"B-but," Jack gasped as he clutched his shirt. "You can't cast spells-"

"I'll explain later," Bunny said as Jack suddenly felt pleasant warmth wash over him. "For now sleep and dream."

Jack suddenly felt his body relax and the words "Sleep and dream" repeated softly in his head, luring him into slumber. Jack blinked to try to stay awake, yet he found there was no point. Sleep seemed a lot better than feeling the pain he was in right now.

"Go to sleep," Bunny said again as Jack felt he was being lifted up into his arms. "You'll be alright, I promise."

Jack stared with half lidded eyes and swore his fever must be causing him to see things. Before he gave into defeat and went to sleep, he swore Bunny was looking almost human.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

All Jack saw when he awoke was white. White walls, white ceilings, a white floor and a disinfectant odor hung in the air. It took a moment for Jack's vision to adjust and realize he was currently in a hospital bed. He rolled his head to the side and saw an iv bag was attached to his arm.

Jack licked his dry lips as he tried to recalled what happened. He had fallen asleep in the motel thanks to Bunny's spell, but he remember awaking for a few brief moments hearing Bunny's frantic voice.

It was a blur though. Jack recalled people putting him onto a stretcher, it being wheeled into a room and then a gasmask being fasten around his mouth before he blacked out again.

Jack sighed as he draped his arm over his face. Where was Bunny? Had he just dropped him off and left? Was he able to do it without anyone seeing him?

"Oh, you're awake!" Jack looked up as a short nurse walked in. "How are you feeling, Sweetheart? Do you recall what happened?"

Jack chewed his bottom lip. He had to be careful what he said here. They couldn't find out about Bunny. They would instantly want to call animal control once they were all done screaming in fright. "Sorry, not much. Last thing I remember is throwing up and collapsing in pain."

The nurse nodded. "You had your appendix removed, but I'll let Doctor Bennett will give you full details on that later." She gave a reassuring smile and patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, you're going to be just fine."

Jack forced a smile as he tried not to let his worry show. How on earth was he going to find out where Bunny went?

"You're father will be relieved though," the nurse said as she pressed a hand to her heart. "Poor thing, I was certain he was going to have a heart attack."

Jack forgot about his uneasiness and turned to the nurse. "My father?"

"He's been here all night," the nurse continued as she waved a finger. "Last I saw him, he was getting a cup of tea."

"I…" Jack stammered as he tried to process what she was saying. "What are you talking about? My father is-"

"Jack! Yer awake!"

The nurse stepped aside as a tall, tanned man rushed into the room and almost split his paper cup of tea. He was large with grey peppered hair that was tied back into a ponytail. His jeans were worn, but seem brand new compared to his shirt that smelled of mothballs. Thanks to the short sleeves of the man's shirt, Jack saw tattoo markings on each of the man's arms. Jack had no sweet clue who this man was. One thing was sure, Jack had never seen the man before in his life. He was certain he would remember him if he did.

The man gave a sigh and slumped on the edge of the bed. "Crikey, ya scared the livin' day lights out of me."

The nurse gave a sympathetic pat. "I know the feeling, Mister Bunnymund. Why, I remember when my oldest Sam decided to climb a tree-"

"Who are you?" Jack asked, quickly.

Suddenly, Mister Bunnymund looked to Jack baffled, like he was insane for even asking. Then, his eyes widened and he cleared his throat. "What ya talkin' Kiddo?" He leaned in close and wrapped and an arm around Jack's shoulders. "It's me. Dad!"

"Dad?" Jack said as he felt uncomfortable that a stranger was holding him so close. Last time Jack checked, he had ever only had one dad and he was dead. "I don't have a dad."

The man gave a nervous chuckle. "Sure ya do," he leaned in close. "It's just ya, me and our pet _rabbit_."

Jack opened his mouth to protest further, but suddenly he stared into Mister Bunnymund's eyes. They were an identical pair of green eyes he had also seen on a certain giant Pooka. "Bunny?" Jack asked.

The man looked nervous as Jack said his name, yet the nurse only laughed. "I wouldn't worry about it, Mister Bunnymund. It's normal for patients to be a little out of it when they wake up from anesthesia." She placed her hand on her hips. "Had a woman last week wake up and claimed her husband was her brother."

She went to slip out of the room. "I'll go fetch the doctor and give you two a little privacy."

The man, which Jack realized was actually Bunny, gave a grateful wave as she left. Both of them waited until the nurse was out of earshot before Bunny turned his gaze back to Jack. There was only one question in the boy's mind.

"How," he said as he pointed to Bunny, "did you do this?"

Bunny sighed as he raised an eyebrow. "I told ya I could shapeshift, ya Gumby!"

"You didn't mention that included turning human," Jack shot back, "and I thought you couldn't with that seal on you."

Bunny frowned as he pulled up a chair to sit. "I couldn't, but when I knew ya needed to get to a hospital I managed ta force my way through it."

Jack gave a grunt as he sat up. "Force your way?"

"I literally forced myself ta shapeshift and I managed ta crack the seal a bit more," he gave a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "Wasn't easy."

Jack went quiet and gripped the bed sheets. That was what all the swearing and yells were about back in the motel room. "Did it hurt?" he asked as he felt the guilt welled up inside.

Bunny blinked at Jack, but then gave a shrug. "Can't lie, it's not somethin' I care ta repeat, but the pain didn't last long." He ruffled Jack's hair. "It was nothin' compared what ya went through and I'm tough. Don't sweat it." Bunny gave a smirk. "Besides, this works in our favor since be easier ta travel in my human form."

"Does this mean you have your powers back?"

"Not all of them. Still can't access my more powerful spells or my tunnels," Bunny leaned back in the chair. "Although, I can cast small spells and use my astral pocket again, which reminds me." He leaned in close to Jack. "If anyone asks, yer name is Jackson Bunnymund and I told them I was yer father."

"I was going to ask why you were claiming to be my dad," Jack asked.

"Was easier and not ta mention they ask less questions about a frantic parent rather than a stranger bringin' in a kid with no relation."

"Right, that makes sense," Jack replied, and chewed his lip. "Bunny, I'm grateful you saved me and all," he shook his head, "but we're in trouble here." Jack looked around and whispered. "They're going to want IDs, records and documents for insurance and we don't have-"

"We're fine," Bunny said as he squeeze Jack's shoulder to calm him. "Especially now that I can access my astral pocket." He raised his hand and Jack watched amazed as Bunny's hand seemed to erase in midair. A split second later, it to reappeared and he held a pile of papers in his hands.

"Not the first time we Guardians had ta take someone ta a hospital," he flapped the papers. "We have our own 'insurance' set up for this kind of thing. So, no, we won't be kept due to not payin' our bills and we won't go broke."

Jack raised his head to look at the paper. "But IDs-"

"These particular papers are enchanted," Bunny said as he plucked out a couple. "North's invention, he cast a spell so it would instantly show the information I want ta give on the spot." He held one out to Jack. "Example, a document with ya birth certificate."

Bunny held it out to Jack, but all that the boy saw was a blank piece of paper. Suddenly, in less than a second, the paper shimmered. Jack watched as the paper quickly produced his name, he noted it said 'Jackson Bunnymund', and his birthdate.

"Whoa," Jack said with a low whistle. "So, it's like the physic paper from Doctor Who?'

"Doctor what?" Bunny asked as he tucked the papers back into the astral pocket.

"Never mind," Jack said as he slumped back against his pillow. "But, what kind of name is Bunnymund? Isn't that asking for trouble?"

Bunny narrowed his eyes. "Hardly since it's my real name."

"It is?" Jack asked as he scratched his head. "I thought it was Aster."

"I have a last name too. My full name is E. Aster Bunnymund and the story is I'm a single dad who got custody of ya recently, and we were on our way home when ya got sick."

"And what about our pet rabbit?" Jack asked with a grin.

Bunny stared confused until he understood the joke. "Ha, ha, cute."

It was then a woman in a medical coat entered as he was looking at the clipboard. "Hello, Jack, I'm Doctor Bennett."

"She operated on ya last night," Bunny explained as doctor Bennett sent down the clipboard and reached for her stethoscope.

"Oh," Jack muttered. "Um...thanks doc."

"You were quite lucky," she said. "You're appendix was ruptured, but we got to it in time. How long were you feeling pain?"

Jack chewed his bottom lip. "My stomach felt off all day, but I didn't think it was a big deal."

Bunny said as he folded his arms. "And this is why ya should listen ta people when they say you're sick."

Doctor Bennett gave a smile as she slipped the stethoscope over her ears. "What's done is done, but let's have a check up shall we?"

It didn't take long for the doctor to check Jack's heart beat and blood pressure. "Good, good," she replied as she wrote it down. "Now, you will be here for a few days I'm afraid."

"How long is a few?" Jack asked.

"Four days at least, but possibly seven depending on how fast you recover."

"Four?" Jack squeaked. "But Bu-er...my dad and I can't stay for four. We have to get going-"

"It's fine, Kiddo," Bunny said as he waved an arm. "I'll be refusin' ta budge until I'm certain you won't be keelin' over."

"Agreed," Doctor Bennett said as she picked up the clipboard. "With that said, Mister Bunnymund, there is some paperwork I need to discuss with you. Do you have a moment?"

Bunny raised an eyebrow but gave a curt nod. "I' won't be long, Jackie."

Jack gave a shrug. "It's not like I can go anywhere," he muttered as he watched Bunny follow the doctor out of the room. He then gave a sigh as he lay back on the bed.

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Out in the hall, Bunny stuffed his hands into his pockets and stared suspiciously at the Doctor Bennett. "What's up, Doc?" He tilted his head at her. "I can tell by ya frown somethin' is up."

Doctor adjusted her glasses before reading the clipboard. "Truth is, Mister Bunnymund, I'm rather concerned how underweight he is." She narrowed her eyes at him. "He's not in danger, but it's not a normal weight for a boy his age."

Bunny gave a sigh, he knew this was going to come up sooner or later. Thankfully, Bunny had enough time while waiting for Jack to wake up to think of a solid story, and the documents to match with it.

"I know," he started. "Truth is, Doc, I only got full custody of Jack a couple weeks ago." He ran a hand through his hair to make it seem it was difficult to discuss. "See, his ma and I got married briefly when we were real young, but marriage only lasted a year and I went back ta Aussie after the divorce."

He waited to see if Doctor Bennett was going to ask any question, but when she kept her unreadable gaze he deemed it safe to continue. "What I didn't know was during our last night we were 'together' she got pregnant and didn't tell me about it."

Doctor Bennett tapped her clipboard in thought. "This resulted in Jack?"

"Yeah," Bunny replied with a deep sigh. "And I only found out last year when I bumped into an old friend of mine who saw her and came back ta find out myself if it was true."

"And you managed to gain full custody?" Doctor Bennett asked in disbelief.

Bunny gave a scoff. "Wasn't exactly hard. Jack was mostly on his own fendin' for himself. He spent a lot of his time on the streets. My ex-wife barely noticed he was there." He unfolded the paper from his wallet and handed it to Doctor Bennett. "Here's the official court record if ya need proof."

Doctor Bennett then frowned as she read. "She was also charged with child neglect I see," she said with an unexpected growl. "Where is she now?"

"Currently in jail on drug charges, that was the other reason I managed ta get custody so fast," Bunny replied bitterly. "I happened ta arrive the same day she and her boyfriend got arrested."

"I see," Doctor Bennett said in a brisk tone. "So, she's unable to see Jack for the time being?"

Bunny gave a nod and jumped when the doctor replied. "Good, she'll be lucky if Jack wants once to see her at all when she gets out."

"Doc?" Bunny asked.

Doctor Bennett sighed and patted his shoulder. "I have a young daughter and son at home and it just makes my blood boil when I hear of mothers who neglect their own children like that."

Ah, that would explain the protective growls. It was the old mama bear instinct kicking through. "Believe me, never thought I've been so angry when I realized how neglected Jack had been."

She offered a smile. "It's good of you to take him on though when you haven't known him for that long."

Bunny clicked his tongue. "Bit overwhelmin', I barely know what I'm doing." That part wasn't a lie. Right now, he was caring for Jack and he really had no clue on what he was doing. "I had a lot of nieces and nephews growing up, but-"

"Not the same thing," Doctor Bennett said as she patted his shoulder. "But it gets easier, trust me. In the meantime, let me consult Doctor Gobber. He's a nutritionist and can recommend a diet that can get Jack back at a healthy weight."

"I'd appreciate it," Bunny said. He had already been planning on trying to get Jack to eat more. Bunny had always been concerned on how skinny he was. Was high time the kid got some meat on his skinny bones.

"With that said, Jack's lucky you were with him when his appendix ruptured. From what I saw, it's been building up for awhile," Doctor Bennett gave a grim sigh.

Bunny nodded, feeling not the least bit surprised. _Getting turned into a rabbit probably speed up the process_, he thought. Shape shifting was a rough strain on a human body. He was more amazed it didn't happen the minute Jack had been restored back to normal. Course, Jack's magic may have been holding it back up until yesterday.

"I hate to think what would have happened if he was on his own," Doctor Bennett continued. "It could have been disastrous."

Bunny paled. That's right, what if Jack had still been living on the streets? Even if he had never bumped into Pitch, his appendix would have caved in eventually. Would there had been anyone around to take him to the hospital? Would anyone have cared? Bunny suddenly felt sick as he imagined Jack crying out in pain and on one helping him.

"Are you alright, Mister Bunnymund?" Doctor Bennett asked, concerned.

Bunny cleared his throat. "Yeah, thanks just a lot on my mind."

She gave a nod. "I'll let you get back to your son then, and I'll see you once I've discuss things with Doctor Gobber."

Bunny nodded as he tried not to pondered on more dreaded 'what ifs' and headed back to Jack.

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Jack had finished counting the ceiling tiles for the sixth time when Bunny came back. "What did the doctor want?" Jack asked.

"She wanted ta know why ya so underweight," Bunny as he pulled up a chair.

"Oh," Jack said as he started to be filled with dread. "What did you tell her?"

"Nothin' much," he said with a shrug. "Just that ya mum and I were divorced, she barely took care of ya, and I got full custody two weeks ago." Bunny pointed at him. "And, if anyone asks, ya mum is currently in jail on drug charges."

Jack blinked and pinched himself to be certain he wasn't dreaming. "Drug charges- You came up with that story within five minutes?"

"Course not," Bunny replied sharply. "Came up with it last night. What? I had ta do somethin' while I was worryin' over ya."

Jack sighed as leaned back. Bunny did have a point and there were probably worse stories he could use…Jack couldn't think of any currently, but frankly he didn't want to. He then rolled to his side and looked at Bunny earnestly.

"I am sorry, we're stuck here because of me-"

"Oi, don't ya start," Bunny replied firmly. "Ya can't control over what ya body does." He folded his arms over his chest. "Although, I may have a trick up my sleeve for gettin' us out of here a bit quicker."

Jack looked up curiously. "Is it a spell?"

"Yeah and it's somethin' only I can do," he leaned forward. "Remember how I said my magic's related ta the earth? Well, that includes new life and healing. Course, it's normally for plants, but I know a low level spell I could use ta give yer body a boost."

Jack tilted is head confused. "A healing spell? Then how come you didn't use it on me last night?"

"Can heal cuts and wounds, but even magic can't remove infections. Even if I was at my full strength my magic couldn't do anythin' about yer appendix. It would have to be removed either way."

Jack picked inside his hospital shirt and saw where he was healing. "Guess magic can't solve everything."

"Course it can't," Bunny replied. "That's one of the first things ya got ta learn about magic. It can't solve everythin'. Even if it did, ya should only use it when ya have no other choice."

Jack sighed as he stared at his hands. "I wish I actually had magic to 'not use' first."

"It'll come," Bunny said, "but back ta what I was sayin', the healing spell I have is a low level one. It will just give an extra boost ta ya body and help it recover faster."

"It's not going to hurt is it?" Jack said with a shiver as he recalled how much changing into and from a rabbit had hurt.

"Na, might feel a bit warm, but won't hurt a bit I swear," Bunny said as he ruffled Jack's hair. "But I'll only do it with ya permission."

Jack chewed his bottom lip. He had to admit, he wasn't thrilled of having more magic being thrown into his body, however, he trusted Bunny. He wouldn't offer if he thought he was going to hurt Jack. "Okay," he replied. "What do I do?"

"Just lay down," Bunny said as he pushed Jack gently against the pillows, "and let me do the work."

Jack nodded and held his breath as he heard Bunny muttered some words under his breath. Bunny then said "Heal" aloud and his hands glowed with a green light. He gave a reassuring smile as he placed one hand over Jack's heart and the other on his forehead.

There was a tingle, but Jack barely felt it as it spread over his body. Next, a ripple came with a bit of heat, but it didn't hurt either. It was oddly comforting, like he was laying out in the sun and had been preparing to take a nap.

Jack smiled in bliss as he shut his eyes. He could feel the warmth sinking into his body. It reminded him when he was little, and loved it when his mother had taken a blanket fresh out of the dryer and he would bury himself in it.

The warmth then slowly died, y et Jack barely noticed until he heard Bunny chuckle. "Asleep, Mate?"

Jack blinked and suddenly realized how drowsy he felt now. "No, but I do feel a little sleepy."

"That's normal," Bunny said. "Why don't ya take a nap and give ya body a chance ta soak in the rest of the spell."

Jack chewed his bottom lip. He probably could use a nap, however, he didn't want to awake up and find he was alone in the hospital again. He blushed a little. He felt childish for asking. He was 14 and it wasn't like Bunny was his dad. He'd probably think it be silly for Jack to ask him.

"I'll be here when ya wake up."

Jack jumped and stared at Bunny surprised. The Pooka offered a smile. "I'll go ta the motel to get our stuff, but I'll do that once ya have yer nap."

"You don't have to," Jack said, and tried to give a non-caring shrug. "I'm hardly a kid."

"Yer a kid ta me," Bunny said as he tucked Jack into his blankets, and picked up a magazine to read. "So, get some shut eye."

Jack sighed not in a mood to argue, and went to shut his eyes. However, then a thought struck him. "Wait, E. Aster Bunnymund?"

"Yeah," Bunny said with an eyebrow. "That's my name, I told ya."

"But Aster is your middle name?" Jack asked to confirm.

"It is," Bunny replied. "So?"

"What does the 'E' stand for?"

Bunny went quiet, and swiftly returned his gaze to his magazine. "Nothing ya need ta know."

Jack gave a grin. "Is it Edmund?"

"No."

"Edward?"

"Jack," Bunny warned.

"Eugene!" Jack said as he snapped his fingers. "It's Eugene, right?"

"Jack, if ya don't stop and go to sleep, I'll make ya go ta sleep with Sandy's spell."

Jack shut his mouth, and Bunny seemed relieved to hear the silence as he turned a page.

"Is it Ernest?" Jack asked. "Oh! I bet it's Ernie!"

"Right, that's it! Naptime!" Bunny said as his hand sparkled with green sparks and he placed it on Jack's forehead.

"No fair," Jack said with a pout and felt the spell make his eyelids heavy. However, he gave a smile as he gave in to sleep, and felt Bunny patting his head.


	10. Chapter 10

There was a very good reason why whenever Bunny needed to buy new clothes, which was rare, he had always left it to Tooth. It was a simple system; she'd buy the clothes and Bunny paid her back by making her handmade chocolate. Truth be told, Tooth actually enjoyed shopping, while Bunny hated it. He currently desperately wished Tooth was here to trade places with him.

There were just too many options to chose from. If he was choosing paint colours or supplies, or something practical it would make more sense, but clothes? All humans needed was a clean shirt, pants and underwear, that's it. Nothing fancy.

He didn't understand the need to give shirts v-necks, high collars, or buttons. The only thing that was necessary was selecing a shirt that had long sleeves, and was thick enough to protect the wearer from the cold, which was exactly why Bunny was here.

Jack would protest it, but the boy needed more clothes than the ones he managed to convinced the boy to buy for his street performances. That was the one good thing about Jack being stuck in the hospital, it gave Bunny a chance to buy clothes for him with no protests they were spending unneeded money.

The wind was getting colder, and bringing the chill of winter with it. Jack needed a warmer shirts and even a coat at this point. Course, he had no idea what the kid's tastes where. What did teens buy now a days?

Bunny sighed as he looked over the clothes and ran a hand through his hair. He was currently looking through shirts on a rack that all had weird logos on them. Jack had mentioned a Doctor Who, was he some kind of famous physician? At least that made a strange amount of sense when compared to the logo that just said "Hulk smash!" Was that some kind of joke he didn't know about?

Sandy often kept up more with the current trends than Bunny did. Granted, all the Guardians had been poking at Bunny to catch up with the times for years. He was probably going to get an earful on the subject once he was home.

Bunny then frowned as he fingered a shirt and once again debated what to do with Jack once their trip was over. He was originally going to try to find a proper home for the kid, except Jack had magic now. That was a whole lot tricker. Jack would need someone to teach him and take him on as an apprentice, but that itself was difficult.

For the magic world, apprenticeship was the equivalent of adoption since it took a long time for a someone to control their magic, nevermind it took them longer to grow older as a result. It was more than a lifetime commitment, and not a lot of older magic users wanted to be chained with the responsibility.

Bunny had toyed with the option of perhaps finding someone to teach Jack in secret while they found a home where the boy could have a more normal life. Jack had mentioned there was possibility a Great Aunt somewhere. Tooth could look into it, research was one of her strongest talents.

Although, a voice in Bunny's head muttered. You could always take Jack on as an apprentice. You've wanted kids when you were younger, didn't you?

Bunny instantly shook the thought away. That dream had died a long time ago with his clan. Besides, Bunny was a 'grumpy old Pooka' in North's words, and Jack was a young human. They wouldn't fit, it'd be easier for Jack-

"Do you need some help?"

Bunny looked up to he had been asked by a young man and stared confused until Bunny saw his name tag. Ah, so he worked here. "Tryin' ta get some shirts for a teenage boy," he replied, dryly as he ran his hand through the shirt rack.

The man frowned as he grasped his chin. "What does he like? Any particular style?"

"No, clue," Bunny replied, honestly. "I just want shirts for winter and a new coat."

"Coats are in the next section over," the man replied as he moved to the shelf and picked a shirt off it. "We have some plain long sleeve shirts, but if you want my advice, you can't go wrong with a hoodie." He held up a deep blue hoodie that seemed to have deep pockets.

Bunny rubbed the fabric and was impressed to see it was thicker than it looked. "Teens wear these?"

The man gave a chuckle. "I got two younger brothers and a sister, and I guarantee you all of them wear these in their favorite colours." He handed it to Bunny.

Bunny gave an approving nod as he plunked the shirt into the basket he'd been carrying. "Thanks, and don't suppose ya can tell me which coat a teen would like?"

The man shrugged. "Sir, in the words of my mother 'as long as it keeps you from freezing to death, it can glow in the dark for all I care'. Just get something simple."

Bunny chuckled. Now those were words to live by.

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Jack swallowed the last mouthful and was glad to be done with his lunch. The hospital food wasn't terrible, yet it wasn't great either. He'd hope Bunny would keep his promise and sneak in some donuts when he got back.

"Is that good enough, Doc?" Jack asked as he set his fork aside.

Doctor Gobber gave an approving nod as he checked his chart. "It's a good start, but you'll need to keep up the calorie intake to put some meat back on those bones." He gave a laugh. "However, keep eating and you'll be as big as I am!" Doctor Gobber exclaimed but then waved his artificial hand. "We'll, maybe not as handsome, but probably decent."

Jack snickered slightly. The man was eccentric, but at least he was fun to talk to. "How much longer do I have to say in here?"

"Need to compare notes with Doctor Bennett," Doctor Gobber said as he scratched his chin. "But got to say you seem to be making a fast recovery," he raised an eyebrow at him. "Rather remarkable really."

Jack coughed and tried to shrug. "I've always been a fast healer." Well, fast healer thanks to Bunny's healing spell, but can't exactly tell him that.

Doctor Gobber looked like he wanted to ask further, however, he only gave a nod. "Well, I'll see you on my next round. I got other patients to pester right now."

Jack slumped back onto the bed once Doctor Gobber went. He was so bored! Jack had never had the patience to stay in bed, and this was even worse. He had been in the hospital for three days now. He was certain he was going to go crazy with cabin fever soon.

Jack was thankful Bunny's healing spell seemed to be doing the trick, otherwise Jack would probably be forced to stay in this hospital even longer. His eyes glanced over to the duffle bag that was still stuffed with Jack's magic tricks.

Bunny was at least smart enough to bring it so Jack could practice his tricks if he got too bored, but he wasn't in the mood. He debated of trying to read one of the books Bunny had bought to read when he heard his door open, and the pitter patter of feet.

Jack sat up, but he didn't see anyone there. He ran his hand through his hair. "Weird, was certain I heard someone-"

Suddenly, a stuffed rabbit toy head peeked at Jack at the other end of the bed. He blinked, unsure what he was seeing, until he heard a high pitched giggle. Suddenly, he saw little hands appear and were trying to make the rabbit hop. Giving a sly smile, Jack said "Hmm...who do we have here?"

The rabbit stopped hopping. Knowing he caught the intruder's attention, he snapped his fingers like a thought had just entered his head. "A cat, right? That is definitely a cat!"

He heard more giggles, and the toy rabbit shook it's head.

"Not a cat, eh?" Jack folded his arms over his chest. "Then it's got to be a pig!"

There were more giggles as the rabbit shook it's head again. "No," it replied.

"Oh," Jack said as he crawled to the end of the bed. "Then what are you?" He peeked over, and saw a little blonde hair girl laughing as she hugged the rabbit to her chest.

"Bunny! Bunny!" she looked up to Jack, and held out her rabbit. "Hop! Hop! Hop!"

"Ah, a rabbit! Of course!" Jack said as he pretended to slap his forehead. He offered a hand, and pulled the girl to her feet. "So, what's your name-"

"Sophie!" Jack looked up, and saw a boy groaned as he entered the room while shaking his head. "There you are! I've been looking every where for you."

"Jamie," Sophie giggled as she held up the rabbit. "Hop! Hop!"

Jamie sighed, and then seemed to noticed Jack was there. "Err...sorry about this," he said as he tucked a hand behind his head. "My little sister ran off from the daycare."

"It's okay," Jack said with a grin. "I was getting bored anyway, I'm Jack by the way."

"I'm Jamie, and that's Sophie if you didn't figure it out," Jamie said as he grabbed Sophie by the arm. "And we got to get going before Mom finds out-"

It was exactly then Doctor Bennett entered, and had almost stepped on children if she hadn't raised her head. "What the? Jamie? Sophie?"

"Uh, oh," Jamie muttered as Sophie ducked behind her brother.

"You know these two?" Jack asked as he pointed at them with his thumb.

"Yes," Doctor Bennett said as she tapped her foot, and looked to the children in disapproval. "They're my children."

Jack blinked. They were Doctor Bennett's kids? Wow, small world.

Jamie nervously fiddled with his thumbs as his mother sighed. "What are you two doing out of the hospital's daycare?" she asked.

Jamie looked ready to say somethin,g but Sophie beat him to it by having her rabbit peek out from behind him. "Hide and seek!"

Doctor Bennett frowned as she kneeled to be at eye level with them. "You know you're not suppose to leave the daycare."

"It's not my fault, Mom," Jamie protested. "Sophie snuck out when Mrs. James wasn't looking."

Doctor Bennett tapped her elbow. "And instead of telling Mrs. James about it so she could call for help you decided to fetch Sophie by yourself?"

"Sure, I'm eight," Jamie replied with a casual shrug. "I'm almost an adult."

Jack chuckled as Doctor Bennett shook her head. "What am I going to do with you two?"

"Uh…" Jamie said unsure how he should respond. "Buy us ice cream or is this one of those questions I'm not suppose to answer?"

Doctor Bennett gave a half smile as she patted Jamie's head. "Never mind, let's get back to the daycare you two."

"No," Sophie said as she suddenly ducked under Jack's bed. "Want to play here!"

Jamie crawled on his knees. "Come on, Sophie! Don't be a pain today."

Doctor Bennett looked like she was going to have a headache which Jack took as his cue to offer a rescue. He hung upside down off the bed, and grinned at Sophie. "Hey, you want to see a magic trick?"

Sophie stared curiously at him as Jamie tilted his head. "Magic trick?" he asked.

"Yup," Jack said as he looked to Sophie, "but you got to come out if you want to see it."

Sophie looked hesitant as she hugged her toy like it was her shield. "Trick?"

"It's involves a bunny."

"Bunny! Bunny!" Sophie exclaimed as she crawled out, and making her toy bunny bounce. "Hop! Hop!"

Jamie sighed, leaning against Jack's bed. "My sister is obsessed with rabbits."

She'd love Bunny then, Jack thought as he then took one of the magazines and tore a couple of pages out of it. "First, I need to make a rabbit. Just take a sec."

Jack turned his back to him as he quickly folded the paper. He could feel Sophie poke at his back as Jamie try to peeked over his shoulder. Once he was done the last fold, Jack spun back around, and held up a paper origami rabbit. "Ta da!"

"Bunny!" Sophie said as she held up her toy rabbit to touch noses with the origami one.

"Where did you learn to make that?" Doctor Bennett asked with a smile.

"My dad taught me," Jack said. Well, it was technically true. His dad had taught him, it just wasn't Pooka shape shifting one she thought was his father.

"He's cute and all," Jamie said a little disappointed, "but that's the magic trick?"

"Nope," Jack said as he folded his hands over the paper rabbit to hid it. "Okay, Sophie, I need your magic touch. Tap my hands."

Jamie stared confused as Sophie grinned, and tapped the top of his hands "Oh! Oh! Something's happening," Jack said as he moved his hands around like something was trying to escape. "It's coming! Ha!" He opened his palms, and revealed there was not one, but two origami rabbits.

"Whoa," Jamie said as Sophie gasped, and stole the rabbits from his hands like they were gold coins. "How did you do that?" He glanced behind Jack like he was expecting to see a pile of paper bunnies. "Where did the other rabbit come from?"

Jack waved a finger. "A magician never reveal his secrets."

Doctor Bennett laughed. "You seem to have a knack for magic, Jack."

"I've loved it all my life," Jack said as he gestured to the duffle bag. "I got more magic tricks stored in there."

"Really?" Doctor Bennett said as she adjusted her glasses, and looked over her chart. "You've been recovering quite quickly. I wonder…" She grinned slyly at Jack. "Do you think you would be up for putting on a little magic show?"

Jack stared wide eyed. "Sure but for who? The doctors?"

Doctor Bennett tucked the clipboard behind her back. "Not quite, but it's an audience that I'm sure could use some magic tricks to brighten their day."

Jack and Jamie exchanged baffled looks as Sophie made a parade out of her rabbits on Jack's bed.

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Bunny felt relieved when he was finished with the shopping. He managed to leave the store with a hoodie, a coat, new pair of jeans, and a few shirts including one with a design the sales clerk seemed certain any teen would like. Tricky part would be getting Jack to take them without saying they didn't need to spend the money, although Bunny did have a back up plan.

He would tuck all the extra clothes into the astral pocket and leave Jack with only the hoodie to wear. With Jack seeing it was either wearing that or the pjs he was in now, Bunny had a feeling Jack would see things his way. He balanced the box of donuts under his arm as he opened the door to Jack's room.

"Jack, I'm back-" Bunny's heart stopped. Jack wasn't in his bed. He wasn't anywhere in the room. His stomach lurched as he raced to the hallway and tried to sniff the air for clues. Had something happened while he was gone? Oh crud, what if Jack had to go into surgery? Or worse, what if Pitch had snuck in?

"Oh good, you're back."

Bunny whirled around as Doctor Bennett entered with a smile. "Jack was wondering when you would get back."

"Where is he?" Bunny said as he tried to hide the frantic in his voice.

"He's giving a show," Doctor Bennett replied with a grin.

"A show?" Bunny asked as he glanced back into the room and saw Jack's duffle bag was also gone.

"Follow me," Doctor Bennett said as she headed down the hall. Bunny quickly set down his bags before chasing after Doctor Bennett. They walked to almost the other side of the hospital and as they approached a large pair of doors Bunny could hear laughter.

"Kids?" he asked as Doctor Bennett pushed the door.

She placed a finger on her lips before they entered. Jack was sitting on a chair, grinning from ear to ear. A group of children, most of them in hospital gowns, were giggling and clapping their hands ecstatically.

"For my next trick," Jack said, "Jamie ,want to give a hand?"

A boy that had been sitting close to the front sat up. "What do I do?"

Jack flipped the hat off his head and handed it to Jamie. "Hold this and tell me if there's anything inside the hat."

Jamie peered inside and shook his head. "No."

"And can you tilt it so the other kids can see it's empty too?"

Jamie did as asked and each child carefully examined the hat throughly looking for any hidden tricks.

Bunny folded his arms over his chest as he whispered to Doctor Bennett. "Has he been performing tricks for the ankle bitters?"

"All afternoon, I hope you don't mind," she replied. "But he seemed so bored and the children love shows like this." She gave him a wink. "Your son as a real knack for magic and kids for that matter." She pointed to the boy and the blonde hair girl who was laughing as she looked into Jack's hat. "I think my kids are now Jack's biggest fans."

Bunny gave a bemused grin. "Can't say I can take the credit for that, but yeah….Jack's a special kid."

Once the inspection was done, Jamie brought the hat back. "Now what?"

"Hold it steady while I reach inside," Jack instructed as he placed his hand inside the hat. "Let's see, what can I...Oh! Wait! I found something!" The kids gasped as Jack pulled out a large cane that was two meters long.

"That's like Mary Poppins!" one girl cried as she pointed. "How did you do that?!"

"Magic!" Jack said as he twirled the cane, and placed the hat back on his head. "Anything's possible with it.'

The kids clapped and Doctor Bennett grinned as she approached Jack. "That was a great show, and it's time for Jack to return to his room."

"Aw," the kids whined as Doctor Bennett took Jamie and Sophie by their hands. "Can Jack come back later?" one boy said. "I want to see another trick before I go home tomorrow!"

"It depends how Jack is feeling," Doctor Bennett said as he looked to Jack.

He gave a grinned as he tipped his hat. "I think I could be persuaded to come back for a few more tricks."

The kids grinned and cheered as Jack took a bow, and then spotted Bunny. "Hey! About time you came back."

Bunny greeted with a wave and smirked ashe picked up Jack's duffle bag. "Ya just a regular show pony."

"Hey, it comes with the job," Jack said as Doctor Bennett escorted them out of the room. "And it's fun!"

"That was amazing," Jamie said as both he and Sophie tugged at Jack's gown. "Can you teach me to do that?"

"Tricks! Tricks!" Sophie exclaimed as she jumped up and down.

"Now you two, we need to start heading home," Doctor Bennett said as she patted their heads, "but what should both of you say to Jack for showing you those tricks?"

Jamie stared blankly, but then his brain clicked. "Oh, right! Thanks, Jack! Right, Soph!"

"Thanks!" Sophie said as she held up her toy rabbit.

Jack laughed as he wrapped the kids into a hug. "Any time, I'll see you two around. Okay?"

The kids smiled as they took Doctor Bennett's hands. "Did you want me to call a nurse to find your room again?" she asked as she looked to Bunny.

"Na, we're fine," Bunny said as he wrapped an arm around Jack's shoulders. "Talk to ya later, Doc."

The family said their goodbyes before Bunny lead Jack back to his room. "So, whose idea was for ya to put a show on?"

"Not mine, I swear," Jack said with a grin. "It was Doctor Bennett's idea."

"Yeah, sure it was," Bunny replied, unconvinced.

"I swear," Jack said but Bunny continued to smirk at him.

Bunny couldn't help, but feel proud of the boy for making those kids smile. As they headed back to the room, part of him wondered if this was it felt like to be a father.

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"Get ya butt back into bed," Bunny said once they entered the room. "I know ya doin' a lot better, but I won't have ya taking any chances."

Jack rolled his eyes but saw no reason to protest this time. "Did you find some donuts?" Jack said as he wiggled back under the sheets. "I'm craving for something not hospital food."

"Yeah, but before that," Bunny said as he held up a bag. "I got somethin' for ya."

Jack frowned as Bunny placed a shopping bag on Jack's bed and brought out a pile of shirts. "You bought me clothes?" Jack asked as he held up a blue hoodie. "Why?"

"Winter's comin'," Bunny said as he held up a coat. "Ya need warmer clothes unless ya plannin' on growin' a winter fur coat."

Jack fingered the blue hoodie. It would be nice to have more clothes than just the ones they had gotten for his street shows. "But we need to save the money for getting back-"

"I do have some cash in my astral pocket, Jack," Bunny retorted as he held out the hoodie. "We can afford ta get some clothes for ya. Now, try on that hoodie. I want ta make sure it fits."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Been wondering, do you happen to have a credit card in that pocket of yours too? Would make traveling a bit easier." Like getting on a plane. Yeah, be nice if they could just ride a plane to Bunny's home.

Bunny cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I don't, I never bothered on gettin' one. I just have a lot of cash."

Jack blinked. "You have all those physic paper type documents, but you never bothered to try to get a credit card?" He knew Bunny was out of date on a lot of things, but that was pushing it.

"Yes, yes, it's on my list of things ta get once I'm home," Bunny said as he shoved the hoodie into his hands. "Now, try on the hoodie."

Jack sighed but he slipped the hoodie on over his night shirt. Bunny nodded as he looked over him. "Bit big on ya, but once we put some meat on ya bones ya should fit it proper."

Jack shook his head as he removed the hoodie. "Bunny, I appreciate the clothes," he said as he rummaged through the bag, "but you should take them back. We need to save every cent-"

Jack stopped as he pulled out a t-shirt and stared at it. It was an Avengers t-shirts, his favorite superhero team. If that wasn't tempting enough, it had solely Hawkeye on it, his favorite character from it.

"Jack?" Bunny asked with an arched eyebrow. "Ya like the shirt?"

"Umm…" Jack said as he fingered it, and trying not to have a huge geeky grin on his face. "It's okay, it's nothing special." He wouldn't say he loved it because that would make him look like an idiot after telling Bunny not to spend money.

"Really," Bunny replied with an amused grin and reached for the shirt. "Well, maybe I'll take it back and get-"

Jack protectively held the shirt out of Bunny's reach. "No! Uh, I mean, you got it anyways. Be a pain to return, so might as well keep it."

Bunny gave an amused chuckle. "Right, so how about tryin' on the other shirts. Cause as soon as ya declared fit again, we're gettin' out of here."

Jack nodded as he reached for another shirt. "Think Pitch is close to catching up to us?"

Bunny shrugged. "Don't know, but with our luck let's not take the chance shall we?"

Jack couldn't help, but nod in agreement. The sooner they got out of here the better.


	11. Chapter 11

Pitch scowled as he crumpled up the marked map. He had now lost count of how many towns they had been through the last week and there had still been no sign of either the Pooka or Jack.

He tossed the map into the trash bin next to the bench and rubbed his eyes. Pitch had finished surveying the downtown attempting to collect information while he had sent Onyx to search the park. Although, Pitch was starting to fear the Pooka was far ahead of them and halfway back to the Guardians' hideout by this point.

He folded his hands into his lap as he thought. He had been so thorough going through the routes. They could have gone onto a train and for that reason Pitch gone through each train route with a fine tooth comb. There had been only one possible train the pair could have taken at the time they had ran. Aster had to have come in this direction, there was no doubt, but it made no sense. By now, Pitch or Onyx should have heard some sighting of them by now.

The Pooka could have worn a disguised, but seeing a street magician with white hair, thanks to that wretched Pooka awakening the boy's magic, was not a common event. Someone should had seen him. Pitch's thoughts dwelled on the boy.

That part was both troublesome and intriguing. Pitch had never imagine the boy had the potential for magic of his own, although there was no telling what kind of magic Jack would obtain. Pitch had originally thought Jack would make a decent servant with the right tweaking, but if the young magician obtained real magic, he might prove more useful than Pitch thought.

"Mom, can we go back to the hospital?"

Pitch awoke from his thoughts as a young girl and her mother walked by. The scene of the girl tugging on the woman's sleeve gave Pitch a vague recollection of Emily Jane as a girl, but he quickly cast it aside.

The mother stared shocked. "You want to go back to the hospital? You've spent the last three days wanting to go home."

"I know," the girl whined, "but I want to go see the magician again!"

Pitch froze, but carefully remained still and leaned back into the bench.

The woman laughed. "Now, Honey. Jack's a patient himself, he needs time to recover too-"

The mother and child walked out of Pitch's hearing range. It took all of his willpower to not grab and shake the woman for information, but he recalled seeing a police officer not far down the street. He couldn't risk spooking the woman and getting arrested.

Pitch calmly rose from his bench and grinned smugly. It was a small town and there was only one hospital, which meant he now knew exactly where Aster and Jack were. It was time for a visit.

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Jack pulled the hoodie over his t-shirt and then went to put on his shoes. He could not wait to get out of this hospital. He had nothing against them personally, but he always avoided them if he could. Hospitals always brought back memories of when his mom died, and it had only increased since his dad's passing last year.

Jack was just thankful that he had Bunny for this trip. He proved to be enough of a distraction to not have to linger on the painful memories. Performing tricks for the kids had only further helped Jack to avoid the memories. He suddenly heard a knock on the door.

"I'm decent," Jack said as he finished tying his shoes.

Aster entered with the duffle bag swung over his shoulder. "Good, now we just need ta see Doctor Gobber."

Jack moaned. "Why? Doctor Bennett declared I'm cleared to go."

Bunny folded his arms. "On the condition that we follow Doctor Gobber's instruction on what ya should eat ta get ya back ta full health." He gently poked Jack's back and had him steered towards the door. "Come on, Kiddo. Time ta get out of here."

Jack gave a smirk as they entered the hall. Doctor Gobber was looking a pile of papers and waved at them. "Ah, there you are." He handed Bunny a chart. "I made a chart for how many calories Jack should be eating at each meal."

Bunny nodded as he read the chart over. "And is this a chart of exercises I should have him do?"

"For later," Doctor Gobber said as they approached the front desk. "Focus on getting him to a healthy weight, but then it wouldn't hurt to follow that to put some muscle on the boy."

"Once again, talking like I'm not here," Jack grumbled as he tucked his hands into the hoodie's pocket. He glanced ahead to the waiting room to ignore the idle chatter and froze dead in his tracks.

Pitch was there, sitting in a chair right next to the door and watching the room like a hawk. "Oh, crud," Jack whispered. How on earth did Pitch find them? Did he pick up their scent or something? Was he part blood hound?!

Bunny was still talking with Doctor Gobber and would have walked straight out into the room if Jack hadn't tugged him by the back of Bunny's shirt.

The Pooka stumbled and was ready to give Jack a lecture. "Jack, what are ya-"

The boy said nothing as he pointed ahead. Bunny looked and paled. "He's here."

"Yeah, I know," Jack hissed. "What do we do?"

"Who's here?"

Bunny and Jack jumped and both suddenly recalled Doctor Gobber was standing with them. "Um…" Jack said as he swallowed. There was no way to explain Pitch without making a ruckus and bringing unneeded attention to themselves. "No one, right Bu- I mean, Dad."

"Uh, yeah," Bunny replied and gave a shaky grin.

Doctor Gobber didn't seem to be buying it. He glanced over to where Pitch sat and gave a nod. "Right, we need to talk."

"What?" Jack asked as Doctor Gobber shoved both of them back into a hall and into his office. Bunny raised a confused eyebrow at Jack as Doctor Gobber shut the door behind him and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm taking a stab at the dark here, but I'm guessing that fella is a magic user like you two."

Bunny's jaw as the duffle bag fell off his shoulders. Jack blinked stunned as he struggled to find the words. "Magic user? You know about them?"

Doctor Gobber sighed as he then proceeded to snap his fingers and caused the small lamp on his desk to float in the air. Jack's jaw dropped as the lamp hovered in the air and suddenly drop to the ground like a stone.

"I can never get the weight for that spell right," he muttered annoyed as he stared at his fingers.

"He's a magic user!" Jack gasped as he pointed. "Bunny! He's a magic user!"

Doctor Gobber frowned and looked to Bunny. "He's a newbie isn't he?"

Bunny could barely nod as he ran a hand through his hair. "What gave us away?"

"I know a healing spell when I see one," Doctor Gobber said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I've lost count on how many I've had to cast," he gave a laugh. "Especially on my godson, now there's a boy asking for trouble." He shook his head. "Anyway, I won't ask for details, but I take it Mister Dark and Gloom out there is trouble?"

"He's Pitch Black," Bunny replied grimly. "And I'm the Guardian E. Aster Bunnymund."

"The Pooka?" Gobber asked as he scratched his chin. "And you couldn't tell I was a magic user? Thought Pookas were bloodhounds for that sort of thing."

"I got a seal put on me, it's a long story," Bunny replied with a growl. "The short version is, he's after us, and Jack and I need ta get out of town."

"Say no more," Doctor Gobber replied with a wave of his hand. "I'll distract tall, dark and spooky while you two make a getaway."

"Thanks, but ya sure about that?" Bunny asked as Doctor Gobber headed towards the door. "Pitch isn't someone to take lightly."

"Ha! I've handled plenty of dark magic users," Doctor Gobber said with a grin and a wink. "Just wait for me to distract the bloke, then run and head for the bus station two blocks over."

"Got it and thanks," Bunny said with a nod, "but be careful."

Doctor Gobber scoffed. "Please, like I said, it's nothing compare to what my godson gets up to. This is what I do for fun!" He gave a wink before he left the office and headed to the waiting room.

"Is he really going to be okay?" Jack asked as they left the office and watched from the safety corner.

"He seems to know what he's doing," Bunny replied as he placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "We'll just have to trust his judgment."

They watched Doctor Gobber approach Pitch and folded his arms over his chest. "Ah, good, you're here, was starting to think of sending a search party out for you."

Pitch paused and suddenly realized Doctor Gobber was referring to him. "Pardon?"

"Come on, let's go see Doctor Bucket, you're way over due for your checkup," Doctor Gobber continued.

Pitch arched an eyebrow. "I believe you have me confused for someone else, I don't know a Doctor Bucket."

"Don't know him?" Doctor Gobber sucked the air between his teeth. "So, you have been skipping your pills. It's worse than I thought." He took Pitch's arm. "We better go see him now."

Pitch snarled as he attempted to break free, but was unable to stop Doctor Gobber dragging him to the side. "Unhand me! I am not a patient!"

"Now, now, don't cause a fuss or I'll have to restrain you." He took a sideway glance back at Jack and Bunny and gestured to the door.

"That's our cue," Bunny said as he yanked Jack's wrist, and they raced to the exit.

They had just made it to the door as Pitch managed to break free and choose that moment to turn. A series of curse words rang out as Jack and Bunny ran straight out of the door. Neither didn't dare stop running until they were at the bus station.

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Back inside the hospital, Pitch went to chase after them, but Doctor Gobber swifly took hold of his arm again. "You sure you don't want to see Doctor Bucket?" he asked with a wicked grin.

Pitch snarled, and looked fully tempted to tear his ear off. "I will get revenge for this!" he vowed.

"I seriously doubt it," Doctor Gobber said smugly as Pitch yanked his arm free and proceeded to give chase out the door.

Doctor Gobber chuckled to himself amused. "That should give those two enough of a head start."

Doctor Bennett frowned baffled as she approached him. "What was that all about? You seemed to be dealing with a difficult patient."

"Eh, nothing to worry about," Doctor Gobber replied with a wave of his hand. "I'm going for my coffee break." He started to hum to himself as Doctor Bennett still remained confused.

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"Two tickets on any bus leaving now!" Bunny demanded as he slammed the cash at the ticket booth.

The man jumped startled and dropped the book he was reading. "Okay, okay, hold your horses." He took the money and went over his chart. "There's one heading to Charleston, but it's getting ready to leave now-"

"Fine, we'll take it!" Bunny said as Jack uneasy kept an eye-out for Pitch.

"Why do we always have to cut these things so close?," Jack grumbled as the ticket man printed off the tickets and handed them over.

"Thanks!" Bunny replied as he grabbed the tickets and the back of Jack's shirt towards the bus.

"Hey! I'm not a ragdoll!" Jack protested, but once he saw a familiar dark figure enter the bus station, Jack forgot about complaining "Go! Go!" he urged as the two of them ran to the platform.

Bunny hastily found the bus, slammed the tickets into the driver's hand and the scrambled into the seats. Bunny and Jack both ducked their heads below the window to avoid being seen by Pitch as the bus began to move and drove out of the station.

"Do you think he saw which bus we got on?" Jack whispered as he caught his breath.

"Don't know," Bunny said as he peeked his head up to glance out the window and protectively wrapped an arm around Jack's shoulders. "We'll just have to hope he didn't for now and keep moving."

Jack gave a shaky nod as he tried to relax in his seat.

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Pitch howled with rage as he kicked over a trash bin. Again! Those two managed to escape on a bus again! He tugged at his hair, resisting the urge to pull it out, and forced himself to take deep breaths.

He had to remain calm. This much stress wasn't good for his blood pressure. Pitch's hands shook, dying to strangle any neck he could find, as he reached into his coat and popped the cork off the bottle of his life elixir. Pitch swallowed a mouthful to stop his heart from racing and wiped the remains off his lips. His heart gradually returned to normal as the elixir took effect.

"Master!" a familiar voice cried.

Pitch slowly turned as Onyx ran towards him. "I saw you running here as I came out of the park. Did you find them, Master?"

Pitch hissed and yanked on Onyx's shirt collar. "Your timing is as useless as your brain!"

"S-sorry, Master," Onyx stammered.

Pitch sighed as he let Onyx go. "Fetch the car and bring it here while I find out which town that bus is headed to. We can't let them get too far ahead of us."

Onyx gave a nervous bow and nearly tripped over the fallen trash bin as he ran to get the car.


	12. Chapter 12

Jack and Bunny were only on the bus for three hours before they reached the next town and got off. They would have travelled longer, but in their rush they had only bought the one ticket with no bus transfer. Jack had assumed they were going to buy tickets for the next bus, but Bunny stopped him.

"We need ta earn more cash, but before that we need ta grab some grub," Bunny said as he steered to Jack out of the bus station and onto the street. "So, let's go snag some breakie."

"Okay," Jack said, letting Bunny lead the way. He couldn't deny his stomach was starting to growl. "Should we grab some takeout to go-"

"Naw," Bunny said he pointed to a restaurant across the street. "After the mornin' we had, I need a proper breakfast and so do you."

"You do realize it's closer to lunch now," Jack said as he pointed to the town's clock tower.

"Brunch then," Bunny replied. "Either way, we're eatin'."

Jack gave a huff, but he followed Bunny into the restaurant. They were seated at a booth near a window in the back. Jack chewed his bottom lip as he looked over the menu. He'd planned to get something cheap. They needed to make the money last until Jack did a few more shows on the street.

The waitress and served two glasses of water on the table before reaching for her notepad from her apron pocket. "What'll it be gentlemen?"

Bunny drummed his fingers as he looked over the menu. "I'll have tea, and the spinach and cheese omelette."

The waitress quickly wrote it down and looked to Jack. "And you?"

"Um.." Jack said as he grasped his chin in thought. "I guess just some toast-"

"He'll have the breakfast special," Bunny cut in abrutly.

Jack blinked as he lowered the menu. "Huh?"

"With bacon or hashbrowns?" the waitress asked as she didn't bother looking up from her paper.

"Both, he needs the protein and extra calories," Bunny replied.

"Hey, wait," Jack whispered to Bunny.

"One special coming up," the waitress said as she turned on her heel to leave.

Jack then proceeded to glare at Bunny. "Why did you just order for me?"

"Ya were only gonna order toast," Bunny said as he waved a finger. "And both the doctors made it clear ya need ta eat more."

"I know that," Jack growled, "but we need to save money where we can."

"We're not goin' cheap when health is concerned," Bunny replied firmly as he took out a map from the duffle bag and unfolded it on the table. "So don't worry about it."

Jack leaned back with a grunt. Instead of grumbling, he took out his frustration by flicking his finger against the water glass. Suddenly, there was a tiny spark and a speck of ice appeared where he had tapped the glass. Jack jumped as the patch of frost spread out, covering the side of the glass. His jaw dropped as he traced his fingers over the ice and felt a slight chill from the frost. "Bunny-"

"No, Jack, we're not gettin' a smaller order," Bunny said without looking up from the map.

"Not that, look," Jack whispered as he turned the glass around and tried to hide the excitement in his voice as he tapped the glass. Bunny raised his head, and his eyes widened.

"Frost?" Bunny whispered.

"I-I think I made it," Jack stammered as he slowly stretched his fingers to tap Bunny's own glass of water. More frost appeared, but this time it formed floral like patterns. It proceeded to nearly covered the entire glass and even froze the surface of the water. Jack laughed, delighted at the sight. "Is this my magic?"

"Yeah," Bunny replied as his jaw dropped and he rubbed his eyes. "Bloody hell, yer an ice mage."

"Ice mage? Does that mean I can do snow too?" Jack said as he grinned from ear to ear and examined his hands. "This is so cool..um, no pun intended." He went to touch his ice glass again, but was halted as Bunny grabbed his wrist.

"Not here, too many people" Bunny whispered as he glanced around to be certain no one was over hearing. "Later, we'll check into a motel and I'll help ya get it under control."

"But we need more money," Jack whispered back. "Not to mention, we have to catch the next bus."

Bunny sighed and nodded. "Yer right, new plan then. I do have enough money in my astral pocket for another bus ticket." He let go of Jack's wrist to point to the next town on the map. "This place is a couple of hours away. Once we get there, ya do a show and then we check in early at a cheap hotel so I can help ya get this under control."

Jack frowned. That wouldn't get them much further than they were currently. "Isn't keep moving away from Pitch more important than teaching me magic?"

"No, cause uncontrolled magic can be dangerous if left too long," Bunny said gently and gestured his head to behind Jack. "Waitress is comin', hush for now."

Jack shut his mouth as the waitress place their meals on the table. The boy quickly forgot about his new magic as he stared at the heap of food in front of him. He wasn't sure what there was more of; the scramble eggs, toast, bacon or the pancake that was twice the size of his head.

He gave an accusingly look to Bunny who was already sipping his tea and cutting into his omelette. "Tackle the eggs first," Bunny instructed as he pointed with his fork. "Ya need the protein."

Jack grumbled as he started to shovel a forkful of eggs into his mouth.

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Jack didn't know which was harder to keep a control over that afternoon as he performed his tricks on the street corner; his excitement to learn real magic or trying to keep the frost from suddenly appearing as he juggled his balls.

Bunny was watching from the sidelines and Jack saw him cringed as the ice started to form over the balls. Jack tried to stay calm and prayed the crowds hadn't noticed, but they did and gave various gasps. Bunny looked ready to swoop in, snag Jack and make a getaway, however, it wasn't needed as Jack's audience suddenly clapped in awe.

Thankfully, it seemed the crowd had assumed the frost was part of a fancy magic trick. One teenage girl even took out her phone to record Jack as the last ball became coated in ice. She only got barely a minute's worth before Bunny approached and growled at her to turn it off.

The girl jumped, but narrowed her eyes annoyed as she shut her phone. "Geez, Pal. Relax! Haven't you ever seen a phone before?"

Bunny gave a snarl before Jack could intervened. The girl wasn't frightened, but she did roll her eyes and walked away. Once the crowd had dispersed, Jack removed his hat and looked to Bunny.

"Why did you get so angry at that girl?" Jack asked, baffled and irratated, "or did you think the phone was going to steal my soul or something?"

"Course, I didn't!" Bunny replied, but then paused. "Well, at least I know that now after Sandy explained to it to me."

Jack blinked. "Wait, you mean you actually use to think a camera would steal a soul?"

Bunny seemed to ignore the question as he scooped up the duffle bag. "I snapped at the girl cause it ain't a good idea for people ta record ya when ya doin' real magic." He turned back around to Jack, swinging the bag over his shoulder. "Last thing we need is for the general public ta know that magic is real. She could put it up on that internet thing."

Jack tried not to laugh at the description of 'internet thing" and cleared his throat. "So what if she does? You saw, they all just thought it was a trick."

"And in that regard, we were lucky," Bunny said as he and Jack started to head down the street. "We're checkin' into a motel and ya gettin' ya first magic lesson." He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "If I known ya magic was developin' that fast I would have insisted doin' it once we were out of the restaurant."

Jack stared at his hands as they waited for the light to change. "Is it rare for magic to develop that fast?"

"No, but truth be told it usually appears a couple of days after it's awoken, not a week." The light changed and they were able to cross the street. "I wager ya magic held back cause yer body needed ta recover from when ya turned into a rabbit and that healin' spell slowed things down a tad too."

"So," Jack muttered as he tucked his hands into his pockets. "It's making up for lost time?"

"Something like that, yeah," Bunny nodded in agreement as they stepped towards a motel. "Come on, Frostbite. We need ta get ya some magic lessons pronto."

"Frostbite?" Jack asked with an arched eyebrow.

Bunny gave a smirk. "Seems an appropriate nickname considerin' what ya magic is."

"So, does that mean I can call you, Cottontail?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Cause I'm older," Bunny said as he jabbed Jack's side as they entered through the doors. "Now let's go get a room."

Jack grinned. "Whatever you say, Cottontail."

"Oi! What did I just say?"

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Once they had locked the door to their room, Jack sat on the bed and watched Bunny removed his coat and give a grunt as he shifted back into his furry Pooka form.

"Ah, that's better," Bunny muttered

"Does that hurt?" Jack asked as Bunny dumped the coat onto a chair.

"A tic," Bunny replied with a shrug, "but ya get use ta it." He then sat on the end of the bed as Jack crossed his legs. "Fetch a couple of those red balls ya were jugglin' earlier."

Jack arched an eyebrow, but did as he was told. Bunny took one of the balls from Jack's hands and pointed to it. "Right now, we need ta focus on control. It's a similar technique I learned to control my earth magic." He handed the ball to Jack. "Trace ya fingers over the ball, but focus on making the frost appear and stop when ya want it too."

Jack nodded as he tossed the ball in the air with a grin. "No problem, that's easy."

Bunny gave a smirk as he left the bed to sit at the table to look over the map. An hour later, It turned out it wasn't as easy as Jack thought. He could will the frost to appear easily enough, except it was like it had a mind of it's own when it came to stopping. He let out a couple of curse words when he was unable to stop the frost from covering the second ball. Watching the scene, Bunny softly chuckled.

However, after the fourth ball, Jack did find he could guide where the frost appeared by moving his fingers, although there was a slight delay when he wanted it to stop.

After covering the fifth ball with frost, Jack dropped it and flopped back on his bed. "I'm exhausted."

Bunny nodded as he loomed over the boy. "Takes quite of bit of mental power doesn't it? But ya'll get the hang of it." He poured Jack a glass of water and offered it to him. "Drink, if ya anything like a water elemental you'll find ya need ta keep hydrated ta keep usin' yer magic."

Jack was going to protest, but as soon as the liquid touched his lips he found himself gulping it down. He wiped his mouth amazed at how thirsty he really had been. "Thanks," he muttered as he set the glass on the side table.

He then picked up one of the ice covered balls and tossed it back and forth between his hands. "You know," Jack said as he tossed the ball up and down. "I could use the frost for my street tricks like I did today."

Bunny gave Jack a grim look as he narrowed his eyes. "No, that's askin' for trouble."

"But you saw how they ate it up," Jack said. "I bet I could even get a bigger crowd if I made patterns with the frost."

"We were lucky they didn't realize it was real magic," Bunny said, firmly.

"But they won't," Jack insisted. "It's not like anyone can prove it is real magic."

Bunny sighed as he ran a hand over his ears. "I don't know, Jackie-"

"We would get more money which means you would get home faster," Jack shrugged. "What about a compromise? I won't do frost all the time, only when I need a fast way to lure in a crowd."

Bunny looked doubtful, but he gave a defeated sigh. "All right, but yer only doin' frost tricks until I'm home. Just hope we don't see any more people trying to record ya."

Jack grinned and nodded. He then frowned as a thought struck him. "Once you're home, who's going to teach me magic?"

Bunny paused and looked to Jack like he was lost in thought. After a moment, he thought Bunny was avoiding the question, but then the Pooka said "We'll find ya a proper teacher, think Ombric or Manny know a few good elemental magic users."

Jack chewed his bottom lip. If he had to be honest, Jack would prefer if Bunny could be his teacher. It was most likely because Bunny was the only magic user he knew, and thus he felt more comfortable around the big furry Pooka.

Yet, Bunny was a Guardian. He may not have the extra time to be a teacher for Jack. Although, that lead to Jack wondering where exactly he would live once Bunny was home. "Will I live with this suppose teacher?" Jack asked.

"Ya'll be an apprentice," Bunny answer, "but I'd prefer if we can find that great aunt ya mentioned earlier. I'm certain the Guardians and I will find a way ya can have a bit of a normal life."

Jack scoffed as the flexed his toes on the bed cover. He couldn't believe Bunny was still on that. Jack had figured having a 'normal life' had flown out the window the night Pitch had turned him into a rabbit. "And you think I would have a normal life with an aunt I barely remember?"

"Family should be with family," Bunny said firmly as he glanced up seriously. "If ya got a chance ta be with them, ya should take it."

Jack went quiet as he folded his hands into his lap. "What about your family?" He looked to Bunny. "It's been bugging me for awhile, but why does Pitch only go after you? Why not other Pooka?"

Bunny's lips formed into a firm line as he leaned back into his chair. "He can't 'cause there aren't any other Pooka." He glanced out the window. "I'm the last one."

Jack's eyes widened. He had figured Pooka like Bunny were rare, but it never occurred to him that Bunny was all that was left. Jack debated if he should press the issue further, except he found there was a question he had to ask. "Was it Pitch?"

Bunny shook his head. "No, hunters." He hands formed into fists. "See, in the past, it wasn't just people cravin' ta have magic awakened that were interested in Pooka. A lot of normal humans believed our body parts had magical properties themselves."

"You mean," Jack said as he was careful to choose his words. "Like how people hunted for unicorns for their horns?"

"Or dragons for their parts? Yeah," Bunny confirmed. "And ya don't hear about them anymore do ya. Accordin' to some wive's tale, a Pooka foot is suppose ta bring luck and puttin' the blood of one into a potion will cure any illness," he pointed a finger to Jack, "those aren't true by the way." Bunny gave a sad sigh. "Course, there's a least a few dragons and unicorns in hidin', my clan wasn't as lucky."

"I'm sorry," Jack said softly. "Did you have kids?"

Bunny shook his head. "Had parents, siblings, cousins, a potential mate, but we never got ta the stage of havin' kits."

Jack sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. It was hard at times for Jack to talk about his parents, he couldn't imagine how difficult it was for Bunny to speak of his whole clan. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"Ya had ta tell me about ya dad and mom, it's alright" Bunny said as he patted Jack's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Look, ya seem ta have gotten better control at the frost now, why don't I teach ya how ta do a lightnin' spell? It's a basic spell, but it comes in handy when ya stuck in the dark."

"Sure," Jack said as he wiped at his eyes and held out his hands. "What do I do?"

Bunny spent the next hour helping Jack memorize the incantation for the spell. However, Jack found it a bit of a struggle as he kept stumbling over the old latin words. He would get a spark, but it would only lasted a minute.

Eventually, they were force to stop and eat dinner, although Jack seemed eager to get to practicing. Jack kept at it until he was able to get a ball of light to not only appear, but to float and stay hovering in the air.

Jack grinned proudly while Bunny clapped. "Good job, Frostbite. Ya caught on that rather fast."

Jack raised his hands to catch the ball of light ball into his hands and then snapped his fingers to make it vanish. The boy grinned, not feeling the least bit ashamed of his pride right now. He did it. Jack had done real live magic. If only his dad could see him now.

"What's the next spell?" he asked.

"No more spells tonight," Bunny said as he pointed to the bedside clock. "We need ta get up early ta hit the bus."

Jack was almost bouncing off the bed. "There's no way I can sleep now, I got to try another spell."

Bunny rotated his shoulders. "If ya that insist, then I got somethin' for ya ta read." He then raised his hand into the air, only for it to vanish and reappear with a small leather bound book in his hands. "Here, this explains some magic theory and ya'll need ta know it when ya do more complex spells."

Jack took the notebook and wrinkled his nose at the pages upon pages of words. "This seems less fun."

"Magic isn't all fun and games it's work," Bunny said as tapped the pages, "and that's all I'm havin' ya do tonight."

Jack sighed, but he accepted it and laid on the bed. He turned on the lamp to read while Bunny opened his own book. It wasn't as bad as Jack fear, although the text was a dry read. If it was in the middle of the day it wouldn't have been a problem, however it was late and Jack found it harder and harder to keep the words from blending together.

It wasn't long before Jack was forced to set the book on his chest and shut his eyes for a moment. He felt Bunny take the book from him and tuck a blanket around him. Jack buried himself into the pillow and didn't bother raising his head. "Night, Bunny."

The last thing he heard was Bunny chuckling amused as he went to sleep and dream of potential frost spells he would do in the future.

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Bunny made certain Jack was tucked in before he retreated into his own bed. He gave a sigh as he attempt to lay on it and heard the bed creak under his weight. Bunny could shapeshift into his human form to fit better, yet he always found it harder to sleep if he was out of his natural form.

He stole another glance at Jack and couldn't resist the spark of pride that flickered inside him. Jack was quickly learning how to master the basic spells. For most new magic users it took them a few days to get far as Jack did. Although, considering how hard the boy had to practice and memorize his stage tricks it wasn't that shocking. The boy had a natural knack for it.

It was clear with the right motivation, Jack was going to be a fast learner. Bunny just had to be certain they found a proper teacher to take him on. Once again, Bunny briefly pondered himself on taking the job, but tossed the thought aside as he forced himself to shut his eyes and sleep.

_Author's Note: I've been getting some questions about if Gobber's godson was Hiccup and the answer is yes. However, or any other HTTYD characters will be appearing in this story since I just wanted this plot to mainly focus on the ROTG cast. With that said, if I write a sequel to this it's possible I may have Hiccup make an appearance then, but I haven't fully decided yet. Right now, I just felt it would be cute for Gobber to have a cameo._


	13. Chapter 13

For the next week, Jack and Bunny found themselves getting into a routine. They would get up early, catch the bus, and during the ride Jack would pass the time reading theory of magic while Bunny would whisper and explain it in further details.

Once they travelled far enough for that day, Jack then took it upon himself to perform street tricks until the early evening when they would crash at a motel and then repeat the routine the next day. Jack kept expecting for Pitch to show his ugly mug around at some point, but for once they seem to be ahead of the alchemist.

Jack tried not to brag, but he did find he was gaining good size crowds thanks to his new frost magic. It caused a few people to fetch out their cellphones to record him, although they didn't last long after receiving both a glare and growl from Bunny. Jack didn't understand what he was so worried about.

Anyone who saw the video were just going to assume it was a fancy stage trick. No one was going to take it seriously.

Granted, the real big problem was they weren't moving fast enough. Having to be forced to stop for Jack to earn their food and lodging, even with Bunny's extra money, did greatly slow them down. Jack feared they wouldn't reached Bunny's home before Pitch eventually caught up to them and that would be bad.

Jack tried not to think about this as he stretched his fingers to have frost form over the linking rings for his last trick. The audience gasped and clapped madly as Jack took a bow. He glanced up and happened to lock eyes with a girl who seemed to be the same age as him.

She wasn't clapping or gasping in amazement like the others. Instead, she stared at Jack with eyes as big as an owl's like she was studying him with her lips were pressed into a firm line.

It made Jack feel restless, but he didn't know why. He glanced to see if Bunny hadn't taken notice. However, he seem too engrossed at a man who had been recording the trick. Jack tried to shake off the feeling as he held out the hat for money and grinned as he saw various bills being dropped into it.

The crowd swiftly disbanded as Jack said "Thanks you," and then looked into the hat to start counting the money.

"That wasn't a stage trick, was it?"

Jack almost dropped the hat as he raised his head and noticed the girl hadn't left.

"Sorry," he asked and was annoyed that his voice squeaked.

"The frost," the girl said in a very nonsense tone, "it wasn't a 'normal' stage trick. How did you do it?"

Jack stared confused as he turned his back to her to collect his things. "A magician can't reveal his secret, sorry."

He felt the girl's eyes stare directly into his back. "A magician," she said in a question tone, "or magic user?"

The bag dropped from Jack's hands as whirled back around to her. The girl kept her serious expression as he tried to find the words in his head. _She knows?! How?!_

Jack coughed into his hands. "Um...I don't know-"

"Don't lie," she said gently as she stepped closer. "But, are you alone? Who's with you?"

Jack felt he was floundering like a fish gasping for water on dry land. "Um..well.."

It was then Bunny walked back to them. "Bloody hell! They're getting worse, Jack I'm really gonna have ta insist we-" He trailed off as he saw the girl and his jaw dropped.

"Um.." Jack said as he ran his hand through his hair. "Bunny, this girl-"

"Katherine!" Bunny exclaimed as he stared at the girl in shock.

All the words left Jack's mouth as the girl now blinked in confusion. "Do I know you?" she asked.

"It's me, Bunny!" the Pooka replied as he pointed to himself.

"Bunny?! Really?!" Katherine said as she looked him over. "I've never seen your human form."

"You," Jack stated calmly as his brain tried to work out what was happening before him, "know each other?"

Bunny gave a laugh. "This is fantastic!" He wrapped an arm around Jack and pointed to Katherine. "She's an apprentice to Ombric, one of my friends I told you about."

"So, she uses magic too?" Jack said. _That would explain how she knew my frost was real magic._

"Everyone's been looking for you, Bunny," Katherine said in a hush tone. "Tooth's been frantic and Manny even-"

"Right, right, but one thing at a time first." Bunny said as he placed a hand on Katherine's shoulder to calm her. "Where's Ombric?"

"At a house we're renting outside the city," Katherine said as she then pointed a finger at Jack, "but you still haven't explain who he is. I saw him use magic."

"I'm Jack," he replied and gave a sheepish grin. "The whole magic thing is new to me."

"It's a long story," Bunny said as he started to herd the kids towards the bus stop. "Let's find Ombric and I'll fill ya two in both at once."

Jack picked up his duffle bag and secured the strap over his shoulder as they walked to the bus stop.

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Jack had to admit, whenever he had pondered on what a wizard would look like, Ombric was almost identical to do it. He had a long beard, an oddly shaped hat and even a long robe to boot. Jack had to wonder if Ombric only dressed like this while inside or if he actually went out in public like this.

Jack sipped his tea as Bunny finished telling all of their exploits up to today. As soon as Ombric greeted Bunny and gave him a relieved hug, the Pooka had shape shifted back into his rabbit form. At that point, Katherine had put on a pot of tea and brought up a plate of cookies while Bunny went into his story.

Jack hadn't said much, but did try to add his part of the story when Bunny forgot a detail then and there. As Bunny finished, Jack stole a glance to Katherine, who watched intrigued as she peeked over her cup of tea.

"And thus," Ombric said as he looked to Jack. "Not only have you been relying on this boy for travel expense, he's also become a magic user." He chuckled and gave a wink at Jack. "How amusing."

Jack couldn't help, and return a small smile as Bunny rolled his eyes. "Yes, ya all can tease me about gettin' my butt saved by a kid later. Need I remind you we still have Pitch on our tail and I still got this bloomin' seal on me."

Ombric's smile then shifted into a serious. "It's possible I could help the remove the seal off of you, but I would need a week at least to study it."

"And we don't have a week," Bunny replied grimly as he looked to Jack. "The best plan of action is for Jack and I ta get back ta the other Guardians as fast as possible."

"Then, our first priority is for you to contact them," Ombric said as he poured himself another cup. "Tooth and the others will be so relieved when you call them."

"Call them?" Jack asked, curiously. "You mean with a crystal ball or something?"

Both Ombric and Katherine exchanged confused looks. "Um...not quite," Ombric said as he stroked his beard. "As entertaining as it would be, I was leaning more towards of using a phone."

Jack put down his cup and poked his ear, checking to be sure he hadn't lost his hearing. "Phone? You mean, the Guardians have a phone?"

"Well, of course," Katherine said with a shrug. "Most people do don't they?"

Jack's eyes narrowed as he sharply turned to Bunny. The Pooka was currently avoiding the boy's gaze as he stared into the sugar bowl.

"This whole time," Jack said gradually and took a deep breath. "We could have called them?! Why didn't we?!" They had been on the roads for a couple of weeks, yet this whole time they could have gotten gone to a pay phone?! Hell, they could have called from the hospital! What excuse did Bunny have for not picking up a phone?!

Bunny kept quiet as he traced his finger around his cup and cleared his throat. "Um...ya see…"

Ombric frowned, but then gave a tired sigh as he rubbed his eyes. "Oh, Aster, don't tell me you still haven't learned how to use a phone."

Jack's jaw drop and he nearly fell out of his chair as he looked at Bunny in disbelief. "You don't know how to use a phone?"

Bunny's eye twitched. "I've never been good with keepin' up with technology! All right!"

"There's keeping up with technology and then there's livin' in the stone age," Jack retorted as he tried to hold back his laugh. "Oh man, that so explains your freak out over the cameras."

"Your freak out?" Ombric asked with a raised eyebrow.

Bunny growled. "My freakout is over that fact I don't like people recordin' ya magic," he pointed a finger at Jack. "I haven't been scared of a camera in years!"

"So you were scared of cameras!" Jack said with a laugh.

"Before we humiliate Aster any further" Ombric replied as he pushed out his chair. "Katherine, why don't you show Jack to the guest room, while I have Aster give the other Guardians a call."

"Sure thing," Katherine said as she gestured to Jack. "It's just up the stairs."

Jack looked over to Bunny who gave an encouraging nod and followed. The house Ombric and Katherine was small, and noticed there were only three bedrooms including the guestroom. Upon seeing the one single bed in the room, Jack frowned as he dumped the duffle bag on the bed. "Where's Bunny going to sleep?"

"In the living room," Katherine said as she pulled up the chair at the desk and sat. "The couch is a pull out sofia. It's not the most comfortable bed in the world, but it's at least big enough for him."

Jack nodded as he started to empty the duffle bag, however, he then notice Katherine was still smiling at him. "Um...am I doing something funny?"

Katherine then seem to realize what she was doing and blush. "Sorry, but it's been ages since I've met a magic user who's close to my age."

"Bunny told me they're rare," Jack said as he said on the bed. "So, are you fourteen too?"

Katherine chewed her bottom lip. "Well, more or less," she looked at him with concerned look. "You know that you age slower once your magic is awaken, right?"

"Yeah," Jack said as he stretched out on the bed. "I got that whole lecture from Bunny." He turned his head to her. "And it was one of his reasons for him not wanting to do it, but we didn't really have a choice in the time."

Katherine shivered. "I've seen Pitch, although I've never had to drink one of his potions. That must have been horrible."

Jack shivered at the memory. "It's not an experience you want, trust me."

Katherine then leaned back in her chair and kicked her legs in the chair. "Is Bunny taking you on as an apprentice?"

"You mean to teach me how to use magic?" Jack asked as he folded his arms behind his head. "He's taught me a few basic spells, but he's insisting he find me a teacher, while I somehow have a 'normal' life. I can't see how that will work."

"It's tricky," Katherine replied with a smile, "but I have heard some magic users able to do it."

Jack raised his head to glance over to her. "What about you? I mean, how do your parents feel about this magic stuff?"

Katherine's eyes softened as she fiddle with the edge of her shirt. "I'm an orphan, I don't have any parents."

Jack winced and quickly sat up. "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

She shook her head. "It's alright. You get use to it."

"Tell me about it," Jack replied softly as he folded his hands into his lap. "My parents are dead too."

She looked up to him and gave a smile. "I guess that's another thing we have in common."

Jack scoffed. "Yeah, we're both in the 'dead parents' club. I wonder if Batman is president."

Katherine chuckled and it made Jack feel more at ease. "I'm just grateful I have Ombric."

"He's seems like a good teacher," Jack commented.

Katherine wrinkled her nose and looked confused. "Well, not just teacher, but as my parent."

Jack turned to have his legs dangle over the edge of the bed. "What do you mean parent?"

Katherine looked back with a perplexed expression. "Bunny, didn't tell you?"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Um...I'm guessing 'No' on whatever it is you're talking about."

Katherine rose from her chair to sit next to Jack on the bed. "That for a magic user, taking on an apprentice is equal to adoption."

Jack's eyes widened. "Wait...so, you mean if say Bunny were to take me on as an apprentice, it would be the same as him-"

"Adopting you as his son, yes," Katherine confirmed with a nod. "Although, you do need the approval of a few other magic users, but in his case having Manny and the other Guardians would be enough."

Jack opened and shut his mouth. "Why though?"

"It's an old tradition," Katherine said with a shrug. "Although, considering how long a magic user lives, it takes a long time for a person to be officially trained. So, really it's a big commitment to take on."

"Like becoming a parent," Jack muttered softly as he ran a hand through his hair. Was that why Bunny had suggested finding his aunt? Because, he didn't want to "adopt" Jack? Wait, maybe that was why Bunny didn't want to become his teacher officially. He didn't want to have to raise a kid.

Jack fiddled his thumbs. He couldn't blame Bunny, yet with this revelation, Jack wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of being 'adopted' by a random stranger they pick out to teach him, especially if he was going to be with them a long time.

"However," Katherine said as she touched Jack's shoulder. "I have heard a few cases where there's no official adoption and the teacher is just there on the sidelines while the 'child' is being raised by their parents. I know that's happened in cases when magic was awaken in extremely young children."

_Oh, great!_ Jack thought sourly. _So, I could end up with an aunt I barely remember and then taught by some random magic user I barely know._ He sighed and looked to Katherine. "Hey, can I ask you something? You all keep saying 'magic user.' How come you don't call yourselves 'wizards', 'witches', 'sorcerers,' etc?"

Katherine gave an understanding nod. "From what Ombric told me, magic users have gotten a lot of different names over the centuries, but magic is too vast to try to categorize people as one group." She raised her hands. "Some are considered to be magic users even though they can't cast spells like a 'wizard' or 'witch' would. It's just an easier name for it."

Jack then looked over at her curiously. "So, what's your power?"

Katherine gave a sly grin. "I'll show you." She hopped off the bed and reached for a book of fairy tales that had been left on the desk." She gave Jack a wink as she flipped to the middle of the book and started to read aloud. "Little Red Riding Hood entered the house, but was confused as she called out for her grandmother-"

Suddenly, as Katherine continue to speak, wisps of a blue vapor rose from the pages. Jack jumped as the vapor first took on the shape of smoke, and then swiftly took the form of a little girl wearing a hood and a house.

Jack laughed gleefully as Katherine continue to read and the hooded girl walked into the house. The smoke changed scenes and the girl reappeared standing instead a bedroom with a wolf in women's clothing laying in a bed. Jack reached out and touched the vapor with his fingers.

It was light and airy like regular smoke, yet it was cool to the touch. Katherine finished reading the scene and promptly shut the book causing the smoke scene to vanish.

"That was amazing," Jack said as Katherine set the book down. "What is it exactly?"

"Ombric isn't quite sure yet," Katherine said as she sat next to him. "But he's fairly certain I'm an illusionist. The only problem is that is happens WHENEVER I read something aloud." She gave a dramatic sigh. "Which can make reading the morning paper quite fun as you image." Katherine acted out with her hands. "I start reading about tuna being on sale and then a second later we have a school of tuna flying around the kitchen."

Jack chuckled. "Well, it could be worse."

Katherine gave a smirk back as she poked his rib. "I showed you a trick now you need to show one off, fair trade."

Jack grinned as he reached into the duffle bag as he realized it really had been a long time since he had a friend his own age...roughly.

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Bunny huffed as he stared at the phone, glanced to the paper in his hands and then back to Ombric. "So, I just type in this number?"

"Yes," Ombric replied as he held up the receiver, "and I suggest you brace yourself. I imagine Tooth will be both relieved and furious that you are alright."

Bunny nodded as his went to dial and tried to ignore his shaking fingers. Tooth could be a real momma bear when it came to protecting children or when someone had dared threatened another Guardian. He was fully aware he was going to get an earful once she started talking.

He heard a ring on the other end, but then a click was heard as it was picked up.

"Hello?" Tooth's voice greeted on the other end.

Bunny sighed. He had been hoping North would be the one to pick up, so much for that hope.

"Hey, Shelia," he spoke.

"Bunny?" Tooth said with a gasp on the other end. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me-"

"WHERE ON EARTH HAVE YOU BEEN?! WE'VE BEEN WORRIED SICK!"

Bunny had to pulled away the phone from his ear and winced as he tried to talk. "Tooth! Calm down! "

"YOU TELL US WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW! WE WERE STARTING TO THINK YOU WERE DEAD!"

"Oh, for- I'm at Ombric's!' Bunny shouted back as he glanced over and saw Ombric was distracting himself with a newspaper. "Look, I need to tell ya-"

"Hold on, Sandy wants me to telling you something," Tooth said. There was a pause and then she read aloud. "You are learning how to use a telephone, e-mail, everything, you got that...oh, sorry Sandy was I suppose to yell that?"

Bunny pinched the bridge of his nose. "Tooth, put North on." He needed to talk to someone who wasn't going to give him a lecture.

He heard the phone being passed to North. "Bunny!" North exclaimed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Bunny said with a sigh, "but we got a bit of a problem." He repeated the story for Noth, although unlike with Ombric he tried to shorten it when he could. For once, North kept quiet for the whole until Bunny reached the end.

"So, this Jack has frost magic?" North replied thoughtfully. "That explains elemental magic Manny sensed."

Bunny couldn't claim he was surprise, he had a feeling at least Manny would have sense Jack wherever he was.

"And," North added, "this fits with Sandy's prediction."

That caught Bunny off guard. "Prediction?"

"Sandy had vision that you were with boy and surround by snow," North replied gleefully. "So, it must be fate."

Bunny's eyes narrowed. Sandy didn't get predictions on a regular basis. If he had received a vision about Jack that meant it was important, but why would Bunny himself be included in the vision? It would have been enough to have predicted Jack's oncoming power.

_Unless the vision means you're meant to teach the boy_ said the nagging voice in his head.

"Bunny?" North asked. "You there?"

"Yeah, sorry, Mate," Bunny hastily replied. "Look, we need ta get back home and I only have so much cash in my astral pocket."

"On that note, we are setting you up with credit card when you get back," North said thoughtfully. "You and Jack will take train. I will buy you tickets, and email them to Ombric to give you."

"That could work," Bunny replied. The train would be a lot faster, except the mansion was deep in the forest of the mountains. "How would we get the rest of the way? It's a long trek up that mountain."

"We come pick you up at station," North stated. "Then we get you home, get rest of seal off of you, then you and Jack are safe."

"That is if we can stay ahead of Pitch," Bunny remarked, darkly.

"We will have to try," North replied with a determine tone in his voice, "but this Jack sounds he will make fine addition to group-"

"He's not stayin' with us, mate," Bunny replied firmly. "I brought the kid in this mess, so I'm gonna find a way to try ta give him a regular life he should be havin'."

North was silent and Bunny sense he wanted to argue. "That is something to discuss once you are safe and heard," North stated.

"You mean safe and sound," Bunny replied.

"Is what I say," North said as Bunny heard him turn on the computer. "I will buy tickets now, then you are coming home!"

Bunny felt the tension leave his shoulders. This long endless trip was almost over and he wouldn't have to worry about Pitch hanging over his and Jack's heads. It should be smooth sailing from here on.

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Far off in a hotel room, Pitch drank his glass of scotch as he tried to rid himself of his headache before sitting down. It had been over a week, and neither he nor Onyx had been able to track down Aster or Jack. He had sent Onyx to check the streets one more time for a mere chance someone had spotted them. However, Pitch had a sinking feeling the pair were too far ahead of them now. He needed a new plan.

To occupy his mind for a minute, Pitch turned on his laptop. He hadn't checked his email since he started the chase after the Pooka. Not many had the privilege of knowing his email address. The only ones who did were his 'contacts' and 'vendors' he used on the black market to buy his ingredients for his potions.

There was nothing unusual in the lineup until Pitch saw there was a message from Jyoti Raju. He raised an eyebrow. Raju was a wealthy man originally from India and had been one of his earliest 'experiments'. Although, what made the man somewhat memorable was that he was one of the few people that had come to Pitch willingly in order to receive power and speed he greatly desired.

Pitch had fulfilled his request by making him half man and half monkey. He had not be happy with the transformation at first, but he seemed to quickly adapt to his new strength and speed. Also, once Pitch reminded him that it was not a wise idea to whine to the alchemist who made him this way and who could unmake him Raju had quieted him down.

He was known as the Monkey King to his enemies now, but he rarely contacted Pitch unless the man wished for a favor or thought he stumble across something the would cause Pitch to be in debt to him.

Pitch leaned on his hand and read the message skeptically.

_I found this video of a magic user being recorded and there are several others. The boy is foolish enough to cast magic with his carnival tricks. However, thought you might have a use for him._

Pitch stood up straight as he read the last line. Was it possible? PItch clicked the link and saw the video play. He grinned from ear to ear as a clear image of Jack appeared. It was him! But why did Raju assume he would be interested in Jack? He told no one of his plans beside Onyx and that fool could barely remember the alphabet. He couldn't have told anyone.

Then, it all made sense. Pitch watched as the balls Jack was juggling in the video suddenly became covered in frost. Jack himself look startled, but he continued to keep juggling only for more frost appear.

Pitch was memorized with intrigued until he heard Aster approach the video recorder and it ended. "The boy is an elemental!" Pitch exclaimed as he slapped his knee. Oh! This was intriguing news. Pitch assumed the boy's magic would appear soon, but an elemental? Jack truly was a special boy.

Pitch stroked his chin. A magic user that could produce frost and most likely ice could prove to be useful. He then searched the website and found, as Raju promised, several other videos of Jack performing his frost trick.

Pitch grinned as he sent messages to the owner of each video, asking them where they saw Jack. It wouldn't be hard to track where Jack and Aster had been and where they were going. It seemed Pitch would owe Raju a favor after all.


	14. Chapter 14

It had taken them a whole day to get ready for a trip. Bunny had wanted to leave as soon as North had emailed him the train tickets until he noticed the train wasn't schedule to leave until the day after.

Which meant, he and Jack were forced to take a day off and spend the day at Ombric and Katherine's house, which was fine with Jack. Having a day off with no fear of Pitch or fearing they wouldn't earn enough money for travel was a huge weight off his shoulders. Not to mention it was fun to spend the day with Katherine and be a regular kid again.

Then next morning came, it was time for Bunny to shape shift into his human form and they all headed off to the train station. Jack and Katherine hugged each other as Bunny and Ombric said their farewells.

"Let us know as soon as you get there," Katherine said as she poked Jack and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I want to keep tabs on you."

Jack laughed as he smiled and blushed slightly. "Sure, and I promise we'll still talk to each other online as soon as Bunny figures out where I'm going."

Katherine chewed her bottom lip as she glanced to Bunny and whispered into Jack's ear. "I'm not one to take bets, but I'm sure Bunny will be the one to teach you. Ombric says he can just be stubborn."

Jack gave a half smile as Katherine pulled away. "I hope you're right," he said. Katherine patted his shoulder as Ombric started to depart.

"Take care you two," Ombric said with a wave. "Stay safe."

"You two," Bunny said as he picked up their bags. "Come on, Jack!"

Jack took one last look at Katherine who gave back an encouraging smile. Jack gave her hand a gentle squeeze before racing after Bunny. He really hoped Katherine was right.

A few feet away, Pitch grinned from his viewpoint behind the booth. It was so tempting to snatch them right then and there, but he knew it was better to wait.

"Do we get them now, Master?" Onyx asked.

"Too many people," Pitch replied as he snapped his fingers and pointed to the suitcase that Onyx needed to pick up. "We'll corner them on the train and capture them then. They'll have no where to escape." It would be a hassle to get the two off the train, but once they had them tied up, he would quiet them with a few drops of his sleeping potions and Onyx could carry them off. Pitch chuckled as he and Onyx boarded the train. Finally, things were looking his way.

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Jack had been glad North had booked him and Bunny their own room instead of being forced into cramped seats for the entire trip. According to Bunny, it would be two days on a train, and then one of the Guardians would be at the station to pick them up. If all went according to plan, it should be smooth sailing from here on.

Jack gave a sigh as he plopped into his chair and glanced to Bunny who was sitting across from him. "Can't believe the journey's almost over."

Bunny nodded as he ran a hand through his hair and rotated his shoulders. "And, I can't wait. I've had enough of being in human form for a long while."

Jack leaned back in his chair as he folded his hands into his lap. "Hey, what exactly is Ombric's magic?" Jack asked. "You guys never did explain that to me."

Bunny shook a head. "Technically it's time, but it's a bit more complicated than that."

Jack tilted his head. "Time?"

"You know how in a Christmas Carol the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future could take Scrooge to different stages of his life?" Bunny explained. "It's like that, Ombric can take himself or someone else with him through time."

Jack's eyes widened. "He can time travel?"

"Yeah," Bunny said as he held up a hand. "But, catch is he can only watch. He can't interact or change anything that happens. People don't see him, they just walk through like ghosts and apparently he can't, or the person with him, say anything he sees in the future."

Jack frowned. "Cause he's worried about it changing events if he does?"

"No," Bunny replied. "I mean his magic won't allow him. His jaw locks up and he can't physically talk again until he changes the subject."

"Huh," Jack muttered. "That's too bad, time traveling would have been fun. We could have dressed up like Marty and Doc."

"Who?" Bunny asked, with a raised eyebrow.

Jack sighed and stared down as his feet. "They should add catching you up on movies as well as technology." Bunny shook his head as Jack turned to look out the window to watch the trees and river go by him.

It was pleasant enough, except after an hour, Jack felt his stomach growl and looked to Bunny. "I'm going to the canteen to snag some food. Want anything?"

"Tea," Bunny said as he reached into his pocket and handed Jack a couple of dollars. "And please don't just get something covered in sugar."

"I'll try," Jack smirked as he pocketed the money and ventured from the room. It hadn't taken long to locate the canteen, it was only a few cars down from where he was. As he approached the counter, he suddenly felt someone was watching him. Alarmed, he glanced around, but he didn't see anyone besides a couple of old men reading the paper.

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose. He was getting paranoid. Pitch had no clue where they were, he didn't even know they were on a train. There was no way he could be here.

"Can I help you?" the girl behind the counter asked.

Jack awoke from his thoughts and placed the money on the counter. "A large hot chocolate, a ham sandwich and a large tea, please?"

The girl seemed to barely listening as she chewed her gum, took the money and gave Jack back his change. She quickly pour the drinks, placed them into a cardboard tray and handed over a wrapped sandwich to Jack. "Here you go."

Jack nodded a thanks and headed back to the car. To be safe, Jack kept his eyes opened and kept his ears on high alert for weird noises that could tip me off, but he didn't see or hear anything peculiar. He shook his head as he tucked the sandwich momentarily into his mouth so he had a free hand to open the door.

Bunny glanced up and raised an eyebrow. "I could have opened the door for ya."

"I'm good," Jack replied with his voice muffled before he removed the sandwich and placed it on the seat. "Here's your tea," he said, taking the cup from the tray.

Bunny took the tea and Jack lifted the tab at his cup to sip the hot chocolate. It wasn't great hot chocolate, but it certainly could have been a lot worse. Jack looked out the window and saw they were passing a forest now. He then looked over, expecting to see Bunny sipping his drink, yet instead he was sniffing it like he was checking for poison.

"Something wrong?" Jack asked as he leaned against Bunny's chair.

Bunny didn't answer as he lifted the plastic lid and peered inside. "Thought so. Mate, I told ya, I wanted tea."

Jack blinked as his sipped his drink. "I know, and that's what I got you."

Bunny shook his head and he held up the cup to Jack. "No, this is hot chocolate. Not tea."

Jack frowned as he glanced into the cup and saw the brown liquid. "The girl at the counter must've messed up the order. Don't suppose you be willingly to drink that instead of tea?"

Bunny scoffed. "Frostbite, trust me. Ya do NOT want me havin' chocolate unless it's an emergency."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "What exactly does that mean? You're allergic to chocolate?" What would an allergic reaction in a Pooka be like? Did they swell up or just couldn't breathe?

Bunny smirked as he handed the cup to Jack. "Naw, not quite. I'll explain it ta ya when ya get back with my tea."

"Yeah, sure," Jack replied as he set his own hot chocolate aside and headed out. "Back in a sec!"

Jack sighed as he walked back through the train cars. "Hope I can get that girl to pay attention this time," he grumbled. Jack noticed the car that was right before the canteen was empty this round, except for the back of a person that sat near the front. "Maybe, I'll snag a candy bar this round too-"

"Hello, Jack."

Jack froze, nearly dropping the cup. He watched horrified as the person near the front rose from this seat.

"Pitch," Jack squeaked as the alchemist turned to smirk at him.

The boy spun around, but saw the door he came in was blocked by Onyx. Jack cursed as he heard Pitch approach from behind him. "What are you doing here?" Jack asked, trying to cast aside the fear inside him as he turned around. "How did you find us?"

Pitch chuckled as he pointed to Jack. "I wouldn't have, but it's all thanks to you, Dear Boy."

Jack arched an eyebrow. "Me?"

"You're quite a star on the internet right now, with that frost trick of yours." Pitch tapped his chin. "Let's see, I think that video of you creating frost rings is my favorite."

Jack paled. The videos? The ones he let people record on their cellphones when he did his trick?! "Y-You found me through the videos?" he stammered as he stepped back to get away from Pitch.

"It took a bit of detective work," Pitch replied as he placed his hands behind his back. "But a few emails from the people who recorded you and I figured out where you and the Pooka had been." He chuckled mockingly. "And once I realized you were in the same town as Dear Ombric, I had Onyx watched his house and followed you to this train." He reached out to Jack, his fingernails resembling talons of a hawk. "But now, the games are over."

Jack searched around until his eyes landed on the still hot drink in his hand. "Not yet!" Jack whirled around and tossed the paper cup at Onyx. The hot liquid splattered all over the homunculus's face.

"OW!" Onyx cried in pain as he shut his eyes and hastily tried to use his shirt to wipe his face. "It burns! It burns!"

"You idiot!" Pitch hissed and made a lunge at Jack. The boy wasted no time and dodge Pitch. He raced forward, shoved the still blind Onyx and ran at top speed. He heard Pitch curse after him, however, Jack kept running until he got to the room.

Jack sprinted inside and slammed the door behind him. "Pitch's on the train!"

Bunny choked as he sprang to his feet. "What?! How did he-"

"It's all my fault," Jack stammered. "He found the videos people recorded of me." He shut his eyes and punched the door. "You were right, Bunny. It's all my fault! If I hadn't-"

"Calm down, we'll discuss that later" Bunny replied as he placed his hands on Jack's shoulders. "Where is Pitch now?"

"He just tried to snag me and he's right on my heels!" Jack exclaimed as he pointed with his thumb behind him. "What do we do?"

Bunny looked frantic, but he took a deep breath and shut his eyes to think. "We get off the train."

"Oh! Course! Great idea!" Jack muttered darkly as he raised his hands. "Except the train doesn't stop for another hour-"

"We're getting off now!" Bunny said as he tossed the duffle bag into Jack's arms and picked up the spare bag Ombric had given them.

"But how?" Jack asked. Bunny didn't answer and instead oddly picked up Jack's hot chocolate.

"Leave that," Jack said, not understanding what Bunny was planning. "We don't have time to-"

"Trust me on this," Bunny said as he peeked out the door and both winced as they saw Pitch come through the door at the other end.

"There you are!" he hissed with a look of rage on his face..

"Go! Go!" Bunny cried as he shoved Jack forward and they ran straight ahead.

"I don't get this!" Jack panted as they get out of the car and into the next one. "Why is none of the staff hearing this? Shouldn't they be coming out to-"

Jack nearly tripped. He glanced up and saw it was a foot that belonged to a sleeping steward sound asleep in the corner.

"Sleepin' potion," Bunny said as he tugged Jack along. "He probably drugged the whole lot except the driver."

"Then where do we go?!" Jack asked as he glanced back and saw Pitch was gaining on them.

"You'll see!" Bunny said as they reached the caboose and slammed the door shut. He muttered a few words under his breath. A bright shimmer washed over the door and was quickly followed by a thud.

Pitch screamed in fury from the other side. "Onyx! Ram the door!"

"Locking spell," Bunny explained as he tossed Jack the other bag. "But it won't last with the monster rammin' the door."

Jack swallowed as he heard a loud grunt and a large dent shape appeared in the door. "Then what-"

"Remember what I said about chocolate?" Bunny said as he removed the lid of the cup. "Well, this is an emergency." He brought the cup to his lips and drank it within two gulps. Jack watched curiously as Bunny shaped shifted back into his Pooka form.

Jack was about to ask what the big deal was, when he saw large bumps take shape on Bunny's sides. The Pooka bent over and grunted like he was pushing a boulder. Suddenly four extra arms appeared and sprang out like flowers popping out of the ground.

Jack's jaw dropped as Bunny stood back up and looked over his now six arms. "Good, this'll do."

"H-How?" Jack squeaked.

"Explain later," Bunny said as they heard Onyx ram the door again. Bunny kicked the other door opened, getting a clear view of outside and the train tracks the ran on at top speed.

"We're jumpin' off," Bunny said as they stood on the platform.

"You crazy?!" Jack shouted. "We'll be killed!"

"I got extra protection in this form," Bunny said as he poked at himself with his third arm. "But my main concern is shieldin' ya-"

Bunny was cut off as Onyx broke through the door and jumped to the side to let Pitch through.

"There is no escape now," Pitch said as he pointed at them. "You have no where to run."

"Wanna bet?!" Bunny said as he suddenly pulled Jack and held him against his chest. Before Jack could speak his vision was clouded by fur as Bunny used his extra arms to wrap around him. The boy felt like he was being covered by a furry pillow as he felt Bunny climbed to the top to the railing.

"NO!" Pitch yelled.

"Later!" Bunny cried and then he jumped.

Jack braced himself as he felt Bunny hit the ground hard and then rolled on the ground like a ball. Jack dug his fingers into the two bags and they continue to roll and roll. Finally, right before Jack thought he was going to be sick, they came to a slow stop.

Jack moaned as he felt Bunny release him, but a pair of hands forced him to sit up.

"Jack, ya alright?" Bunny asked as he looked him over. "Any bones broken?"

Jack groaned as he shook his head. "Going to be sore, but all in one piece. You?"

"I'll be feelin' it tomorrow," Bunny said as he forced them to stand up. They looked over to where the train was and they could be see a black figure shaking a fist back at them.

"Where now?" Jack asked, hugging the bags to his chest.

"Into the woods," Bunny said as he gestured over Jack's shoulder. "We'll regroup once we're safe from Pitch."

Jack nodded as he climbed onto Bunny's back and they bolted to the woods. So much for so sailing.

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Pitch slammed his fist on the railing. He was fully tempted to jump off and give chase, but it was impossible to do without breaking some bones at least. "Of all the infernal-"

"What now, Master?" Onyx asked from behind him.

Pitch fumed, but gave a sigh. "They may have gotten off the train, but we know exactly where they're going." Pitch grasped his chin. Problem was once they reached the mountain it wouldn't take long for them to reach the other Guardians. Perhaps the time came for a change in tactics entirely and it would require some research on Pitch's part.

"Back to the room," Pitch ordered as he folded his arms over his chest. "I need a quiet place to think."

Onyx gave a nod as he followed his master back to their car.


End file.
